Believe and trust the Lord with all your heart.
Have you ever caught yourselves thinking that everyone in this world is going against you, maybe your parents, your friends, or coworkers or even worst putting the blame on God? You might say, well since God created us, wouldn’t He be the one responsible for the planning for our lives.
Well, I want to be honest and say that I have been guilty of both cases. However, I want to show you today what God says in His Word about this matter.
But, before that, let me start you of with a story:
I am currently in the process of planning my marriage with a person whom I love dearly. We have been together for exactly a year on February 6, 2007. A lot of things have happened in our relationships.
We’ve dealt with issues ranging from honesty, patience, trust, sacrifice, selfishness to personal tastes.
I’ve gone to fishing once, and I felt the way we are handling our relationships is very similar to the way we fish.
Let me explain the best that I can from an amateur fisherman point of view.
Fishing takes patience and perfect timing.
Of course, it would take many other things such as preparation, looking at weather forecast, renting a boat, etc. But, today I would like to focus on patience, and timing.
You throw bait to the water and wait for a fish to eat it. Someday you might catch a fish just half an hour after you threw the bait, other days, you might go home empty handed.
I wonder why Jesus had picked some of His disciples who have a fishing background. Patience is one of the main key to a Christian lives, whether when we minister to others or when we wait for the answers to our prayer.
Maybe, you are not like the traditional fisherman that you prefer to use fishing rod than using a net, but this principle works both ways.
I can use the most expensive fishing rod, thickest line, shiniest hook when I fish, however, if I don’t know how to fish properly, even a small fish won’t even bother looking at my bait.
Knowing when to reel and drag is important to prevent your line from snapping.
And knowing the proper handling of your fish, when you caught one is also significant in the whole process.
Let us go back to our main problem: These are what our prayers may sound when we are in doubt:
“Lord, what is going on with the winds?”
“Lord, what happened to all the fishes, You know how hungry my families are?”
“I think the fisherman who is sitting next to me is stealing all my fishes.”
I want to take a moment to read the following passages of scripture from Isaiah, chapter 62:
“1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest,
7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary."
10 Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.
11 The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.' "
12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.”
I want to briefly summarize the above passages to some few lesson points that I believe the Lord wants to teach us today:
- God promises to impregnate our lands with His blessings as a show of how much He cares and loves us.
- We as God’s children should be patient and endure the journey proclaiming God’s Holy Name until His second return.
- God rewards those who dilligently seek Him.
I hope this letter has been a blessing to you. Have fun fishing!
