Jesus Meets Us There
In this message, you will see how Jesus responds to fear, doubt, shame, and failure by meeting people in their broken places. You will also learn why receiving the restoring love of God must lead us to carry that love to others.
Peter’s restoration in John 21 reveals that failure does not cancel the love of God or erase His calling. Peter had denied Jesus three times, but the risen Jesus prepared breakfast, invited Peter near, and asked him three times, “Do you love Me?” Each answer was followed by a commission to care for Jesus’ sheep. Peter had to experience forgiveness before he could proclaim forgiveness to others.
Confabulation can distort how we imagine God feels about us. Our minds fill in information we do not have, often without recognizing it. Painful experiences with parents, leaders, and other people can cause us to assume that God is disappointed, distant, or waiting to punish us. Scripture reveals a Father whose heart is better than the story fear has created.
Jesus met the disciples in their fear, Thomas in his doubt, and Peter in his shame. “We keep asking Jesus to remove the broken places, and I have found that He wants to meet us there.” Jesus does not require us to defeat every struggle before He comes near.
Restored people are expected to become agents of restoration. Jesus directed Peter’s love outward by commanding him to tend and shepherd His people. “We love people in their broken places because Jesus loves us in ours.”
No broken place is beyond the love of God. Jesus returned Peter to a charcoal fire, the setting associated with his denial, and transformed it into a place of restoration. Your wounds may be real, but they are not beyond His healing, and your failure cannot make you unreachable to Jesus.
As you reflect on this message this week, consider the following:
- Jesus comes to meet us in our broken places. What fear, doubt, shame, or disappointment have you been asking Jesus to remove? How might Jesus be inviting you to encounter His presence and love within that place?
- Our assumptions about God are not always the truth about God. Consider whether past experiences with people have caused you to imagine God as distant, disappointed, or unforgiving. What does Scripture reveal about God’s heart that corrects those assumptions?
- Jesus expects us to love people toward Him. Peter received restoration and was immediately commissioned to care for others. Who needs to experience the patience, forgiveness, and restoring love of Jesus through you this week?