Peter had been humbled and ashamed that he had denied Jesus three times as Jesus said he would, but he didn’t disappear. He stayed with the disciples. He ran to the empty tomb. And here, he was eager to see the Risen Christ. But his failure still nagged at him. Peter had denied Jesus three times, and Jesus let him reaffirm his love for Jesus three times. And Jesus accepted that commitment by giving Peter a job, feeding His sheep, leading His church. It is critically important that Jesus spoke to Peter first. Jesus started this reconciliation. Jesus moved to rebuild the bond with Peter and to make sure that Peter could do the work the Lord had set out for Him.
When we fail, the Lord is quick to take us back. He has gone to great lengths to cover our sin and is quick to forgive us. We never need to fear going to the Lord in repentance. He already knows what we have done. We don’t need to give Him time to cool off. When we have sinned, we should run to God as quick as we can. He will be quick to forgive us and put us to the work He has for us.
Is there a failure that nags at you that you have been reluctant to mention to the Lord? Do you realize how silly it is to avoid that conversation? Go to Him now, clear the air and get closer to Him.