Luke 5:8, But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Before Jesus dwells in the human heart, He first crushes it. Confrontation with Jesus is seldom a pleasant experience. When Jesus performed the miracle for Peter and his fellow fishermen, Peter immediately realised who Jesus was. No one says to another simple human being, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” No, these words are only uttered before the presence of God.
Such is the conversion experience. In conversion, the sinner recognises his sinfulness before God, despairs of his life, and pleads for mercy in fear of God’s just wrath against the things he has done. Yet just as He did with Peter, Jesus responds, “Do not be afraid” (v. 10). Do not be afraid, O sinner, for Jesus has chosen to forgive you for all the bad and wrong you have done.
The Lutheran Column 