John 21:12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

This is a very interesting and somewhat mysterious incident. Why would the the disciples not have known that it was Jesus, when they had already seen Him after His resurrection? Had His appearance changed? Actually, it’s not at all unusual for God to work in our lives and us not recognize who it is. We dismiss things as chance, or even try to rebuke the devil! In this instance, whatever His physical appearance, Jesus gave several hints that made it clear who He was. The first was that He essentially repeated a miracle He had done when He first called Peter, James, and John to follow Him full time. That in itself was enough of a clue for John. I’m sure the others had heard the story enough times that when John said, “It’s the Lord,” it clicked for them as well. Also, it was at least a little miraculous that He had a fire going with fish cooking, when they hadn’t noticed Him before He spoke to them. Whether that part was miraculous or not, it was entirely typical that He was there to serve them, providing food for their physical needs. A major problem we have is that we don’t really expect God to meet our needs, and so we get anxious. This isn’t to say we should be presumptuous and irresponsible, but it is to say we should be looking for God’s provision and give Him proper appreciation when we receive it.

I have problems here as well, though I think I have even more of a tendency to be presumptuous than to be anxious. The Lord has been teaching me to look for His hand in things, rather than automatically assuming they have nothing to do with Him, or are even in opposition to Him. He did make it clear to me that there is much that goes on in the world that He’s not happy about, but at the same time I need to trust His protection for me personally. I need to be careful to keep my armor on (Ephesians 6), but if I’m doing that, I need to know that Psalm 91:10 is operative for me. Whatever something looks like, it isn’t disaster! I need to be on regular, intimate terms with Him, so that like John I can recognize Him anywhere.

Father, thank You for this reminder when I am in the middle of physical discomfort with a cold. Last night was the first prayer meeting I’ve missed since I don’t know when. Thank You for Cathy’s report this morning of what a good prayer meeting it was. Help me remember that this church doesn’t revolve around me, but around You! Thank You for how You are growing the believers in standing up and taking responsibility in various ways. My always being at my best can actually be a hindrance to that. Thank You for all we got done yesterday, and for everything on the schedule today. I ask for strength and wisdom in my teaching, particularly teaching speech therapy with an unreliable voice! May I rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout today, recognizing Your hand and giving You thanks and praise in everything. Thank You. Praise the Lord!