It must have been a strange time for the disciples.  Their usual daily routine with Jesus had gone, and with it their sense of daily purpose.  Despite the occasional surprise appearances of Jesus to various disciples (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), it was clear that life would not be the same again.  For the last three years, Jesus had been their life, and practical and financial support came to the group as they travelled with Jesus.  What would their lifestyle be, how would they earn their living?  

Jesus had told them to go back from Jerusalem to the Galilee region (Mark 16:7).  Some of them, fishermen, gathered at the water’s edge near to one of the family boats (Matthew 4:18-22).  An interesting group of disciples got together: Simon Peter who denied Jesus; Thomas who doubted Jesus; Nathanael who was prejudiced against Galileans; James and John whose mother had encouraged them to ask Jesus for top jobs when He became king; and two other disciples.  All of them had been changed as they worked with Jesus, but old comfortable habits remained.

So Peter decided to make things happen.  He announced that he was going fishing.  Now they were back to making their own decisions again, and it felt as though they were getting back to the old normality before Jesus had come into their lives. At least, he and the other men knew how to catch fish … or so they thought. However, experienced though they were, their nets were empty all night.  There was nothing to show for all their work in trying to catch some fish.  Their expedition was fruitless as their self-made plans proved futile.  It was their human way out of the vacuum of uncertainty, but it had failed.  The fact that others agreed with Peter’s plan did not make it any better.  They still caught nothing and wasted a night’s sleep.
 
When nothing seems to be happening, some people think that a plan and action will fill the void.  But the void in the disciples’ lives had been left by Jesus.  Nothing and nobody could take His place.  ‘Doing something’ could not solve the emptiness; they needed the Lord’s command to commission them.  Often, God does more in our hearts than we imagine during the quiet periods, the sabbaticals, the holidays and indeed any time when we are waiting for God’s voice.  What we do during that time reflects our personal nature and our trust in God.  Are we willing to wait for Him in quietness?  Lamentations 3:26 says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  Do we agree?  If so, let us practise the faith with careful inactivity until the Lord commands us to move forwards.