People always seem surprised when God answers prayer.  Several years ago, Tom Lindenfelder was dying of liver failure.  He'd been on the transplant list for months, and finally the doctors said he had only four more days to live.  His pastor called every church and prayer chain he could think of.  They all prayed for Tom, and in just three days, he got a donor.  He'd have died in four days, but got his transplant in three.  Another example - you know Carol and I have been asking for prayers about moving to Castle Rock.  Last Friday within an hour of each other, we bought a new home and sold our old one.  We'll close on both homes on the same day two weeks from next Wednesday.  I told this to a woman in Castle Rock Friday and she said, "You've been praying, haven't you?"

          Stories like this shouldn't surprise Christians, yet they always do.  We know the power of prayer, yet are continually amazed by it.  God keeps hearing our prayers, and we keep being amazed by His answers.  God is always at work, doing amazing things in life.  Question is, are we willing to join Him in what He's doing or just be skeptics?

          The disciples of Jesus lived in continual amazement.  They'd been amazed by His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and amazed at His attack on the temple sellers.  They'd seen Him die on a cross, and they'd seen Him alive again.  As many times as they'd seen him cast out a demon or heal the sick or feed thousands with a boy's lunch, still they were amazed when He did something unusual.

          Christ came back to show them He was alive, and to prepare them for His leaving again.  Christ came back to calm their fears and He came back to reprove them for their doubts.  In this story He challenged them to catch fish where they didn't think they could, in others words, to "Try the other side!"

          For five and a half weeks after Easter Jesus showed Himself alive to His people all over Israel, and this time He does it back home.  Near the north shore of the Sea of Galilee today there's a small church, the Chapel of St. Peter, near the place where Jesus made breakfast for them.  Not far from there in Kibbutz Ginosar are the remnants of an old fishing boat dating from the time of Jesus.  Everywhere are places He walked and talked.  It's amazing how often the Bible is shown to be accurate these days.

          Christ was born to be a servant, and He serves His Disciples well.  They'd been up all night and hadn't caught anything.  I'm sure this wasn't the first time, but it's still frustrating.  Maybe they thought they could go back to the way things used to be.  Or maybe they felt they'd lost their touch with the nets.  People are often nostalgic.  We like to reminisce about the "good old days," always remembering the good but forgetting the bad.  Someone said, "Nostalgia is the refuge of the stagnant."  Those who spend all their time back then are often going nowhere today.

          So Jesus came along and said, "Try the other side!"  I'm sure they already had.  It wasn't as if they'd spent the whole night fishing out of one side of the boat.  They just couldn't find fish anywhere.  I know that feeling, which is why I don't go fishing much any more.  I admire people who actually catch fish!  When Jesus said, "Try the other side!", His men had nothing to lose.  And 153 big fish nearly swamped their boat!

          Skeptics today say Jesus saw the school of fish from shore and was just directing the disciples towards them.  Or they'd say He knew that fish bite better in the morning than at night.  Skeptics are always trying to take away the miraculous.  Our house sale or that liver transplant weren't miracles, just probability or coincidence.  But people of faith know God and that He hears our prayers.  Skeptics just don't get it!

          The other side is not the wrong or sinful side, just a different approach.  Like the disciples tried the other side, so should we.  Just as they did what the Lord told them, so should we.  When the Lord comes into your life, things will change.  You can't stay in the same old rut with Jesus!  To catch the big one He promises, you need to take a risk.  You need to do what He says, to "Try the other side!"

          The gods of this age, whether pleasure, possessions, power or pride, try to keep us on the same old side, in the same old ways.  These are ways that promise so much but deliver so little.  Whether our gods come in the shape of a dollar bill, a new gadget or a soccer ball, we need to hear the Word of the Lord.  God delivers on what He promises -- love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness -- so let's try His side of the boat.

          Trying the other side means trusting in what Christ tells you instead of your own wisdom.  It means lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness.  It's saying "no" to the world and "yes" to God.  It's saying "no" to an unreasonable demand at work so you can be with family.  It's taking a walk with a friend.  It's enjoying a donut instead of worrying whether it's good for you.  It's loving your kids instead of criticizing them.

          Trying the other side means putting God first.  It's family over sports, and worship over athletics.  It's prayer first thing in the morning or the last thing at night.  Trying the other side is doing what God asks rather than what society demands.  It's doing what's best rather than what's expected.  But when you try that other side, make sure you're ready for God's response.  153 fish might sink your boat!

          Trying the other side means letting go of self and letting God take over.  We people have a plan for everything.  We read books on raising kids, and manuals on how to run our business.  We run our churches like a secular business and worship our work.  We take bold giant steps in our work, but timid baby steps in our faith.  God calls us to a relationship, not a plan.  He wants us to be bold with Him and timid with the world, not the other way around.

          There's a great little book called Murphy Goes to Church, a collection of Murphy's Laws that apply to churches.  Some of them are so true:  Law of Institutionalization: "Bad traditions not only die hard, they become immortal."  Law of Bigger Barns: "No matter how large the new building, it will always be one room short."  Law of Proximity: "Members who live the farthest away are the first to get to church."  Law of Standing: "The longer the pastor's prayer, the more likely the congregation will be asked to stand."  Law of Tangents: "The more trivial the subject, the more discussion it gets in meetings."  Law of the Rut: People don't oppose change, they just oppose bad ideas."  Corollary: "All change is a bad idea."

          Christ calls us away from the old, unproductive ways, to "Try the other side!"  This may cause us problems.  Jesus tried the other side and it cost Him His life.  His critics said, "You can't do that - the other side is wrong.  All change is a bad idea!"  But He showed them.  The other side is where the blessings of God are in abundance.

          God so loved us people that He went to the other side for us.  His Son went against the advice of the world and gave Himself up as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins.  He didn't belong on the cross, we did.  The Jews didn't crucify Him, we did.  The nails didn't hold Him on the cross, His love did.  Now He says, "Try the other side!"

          What are you hearing from the Lord these days?  Are you wasting time in your old boats, doing things the old, stale way?  Are you listening for God's voice, but getting it confused with the noise of the world?  Then close your door and go to Him in prayer.  Listen for God to speak.  And when He talks, listen to Him and obey.  When He acts, adjust your life and join what He's doing.  It's not easy, but it's always better.  May all us modern disciples hear His voice and "Try the other side!"  Amen

Copyright © 2001 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.