God Brings the Fish

God Gives the Fish

By Candice Irion

October 13, 2012

The day was sunny and warm.  The winter chill had rolled eastbound and it no longer stung to be outside.  Cold enough to still have seven layers on, though.  But, not cold enough to let the day pass while being indoors.

It was morning.  The sun had placed its rays upon part of the stream as it continued to rise.  Golden specks of light fluttered throughout pockets of what could be a black abyss.  The light shined through the water and it became clear.

What wasn’t so clear was where the stink was all the fish!  I trounced along with mixed emotions of frustration and disappointment.  Was it me?  Was I not sneaking up on the bank correctly? I’m always a bit louder than I should be.  Do I have the eyes of someone much older because I sure couldn’t see all the fish Josh saw.  What about my cast? I know I’m a beginner, but am I really that bad? Maybe I am.  Or it could be my streaming technique. Ugh!  Where were all the fish?

I felt like a failure.  Here I was, on a leisurely fishing trip, feeling like a failure.  But then, I believe the Holy Spirit sounded in my ears.  “Success is not measured by the number of fish you catch, but the fact that you are out here fishing.  It is brave for you just to be out here, doing what you are, just trying to fish.  But, God brings the fish.” 

Pondering this, I stepped up along the bank and cast out my line.  My mind wandered again.  I thought of the story of Jesus telling John and Peter to switch their nets to the other side in John 21.  They had been up all night fishing and had caught nothing.  Seasoned fisherman, they were and they had caught nothing.  Then, Jesus spoke: Through your nets to the other side.  The One with all the authority on earth watched their obedience as they did what He instructed.  You know the rest.

But, in case you don’t, their nets filled so full of fish they almost broke.  

My mind ran to another Scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 where a farmer farms and a waterer waters, but God makes things grow.  While we must be diligent in our responsibilities, it is up to God to actually make it happen.  Somewhere along the line, we started thinking that we had some super natural ability to make things grow on our own.  Not so.  It’s by God’s ordnances and bringing about of things that the impossible becomes possible.   It is His order that calls the fish to get into that net.   I guess the fish listened because the net’s ropes almost busted.

The stream’s golden flecks caused my eyes to re-focus on my streamer.  I watched my little black streamer just float along and then my eyes re-focused again.  I saw a mouth move.  Out of no-where a big rainbow trout sat stealthy camouflaged in the middle of this deep part of the stream.  Then, boom, my streamer sailed enough into his mouth and he was hooked!

“No way!!…. Josh!!!”

God brought this fish and boy did I know it.  I reeled in my first 13” rainbow trout and took about 100 pictures with it.  As we watched him sail away, I was filled with joy.  I had nothing to do with that fish that day, except the obedience to cast my line.  

Thus, why do we do ourselves much damage by letting worry, stress and anxiety rule us?  We can’t bring in the fish because only God can.  So, if you are struggling in your job, or deal after deal is falling through, or you are just trying to cast your line by a supposed barren stream, take rest, my friend.  Because, when it comes down to it, you are really not after the fish in the long run.  You are after God.  Let Him take care of the fish.

© 2012 Candice Irion.  All Rights Reserved.