Before the Rooster Crows

Before alarms, before we had Alexa, Google or Siri to wake us up in the morning, before Wham could wake us up ‘before we go, go,‘ there was nature’s alarm...the rooster. I'm sure on many farms across the world, they still use the crow of the rooster to wake them as morning dawns it's light on the newly wakened world.

Often times though, before the alarm or the rooster's crow, I lay in bed with worry, anxieties, regret, sorrow, and thoughts that I seem to not be able to keep under control. Worries of the day ahead, the distant future, the past, worries for every tense: present, past and future. Sorrows and regrets of past sins, and mistakes that I have made. Words that I may have said wrong, unrighteous deeds in God's sight. Denying my Lord by my words and actions, or the lack there of.

Peter, one of Jesus' personal proteges, a disciple and apostle of Christ himself, could relate to this. He was told by Jesus that he would deny him 3 times before the rooster crowed the next morning, before the morning sun rose, he would deny even knowing the Lord, let alone being a personal friend and follower of Jesus.

With Bible in hand, reading this story from the comfort of our couches, we can easily sit back and judge Peter for his actions, for denying his Lord and Savior. We would be amiss to look at that passage if we don't see ourselves in Peter. The things we say and do, our words, actions and deeds, or what we don't say, can be an act of denial.

I lay in bed and contemplate these thoughts in the early hours of the morning, before the light has dawned. I think of my own denial and betrayal of my Lord and my reaction seems to mimic Peter's, "...he went out and wept bitterly." Matthew 26:75

Peter's story does not end there. After Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to Peter and the other disciples at dawn. The dawning of a new day, brought a new beginning and chance for repentance for Peter.

God promises that His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great, despite our lack of faith. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Jesus stood on the shore as Peter and some of the other apostles fished in a boat in the sea of Galilee. When Peter found out it was the Lord, he jumped into the water and headed to the shore.

Peter's sin, resulted in godly sorrow which produced repentance leading to salvation.

Jesus offers us the same. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted." I like the way the NLT version puts it, "For the kind of sorrow that God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow." I take that to mean, that when I'm lying in bed, awake sorrowful for sins and mistakes I made, to the point that it leads me to repentance, there is no regret or shame in that.

Jesus is standing at the shore waiting for you to react like Peter and jump all in and repent to receive Jesus' forgiveness. He already knows your denial, regrets and sorrows from sin. It's undeniable, that He's waiting there at the dawn of each new morning, before the rooster crows, for you to repent and follow Him. His mercies are new every morning.