Catch More Fish

I love random, unusual moments.  So imagine my surprise when a random fishing moment came my way in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.   My friend, Arabella, and I were there for a conference but had arrived early enough to have some free time.  After lunch we decided to walk along the waterfront and fill our nostrils with the smell of salt water.  Apparently, it was a great day for fishing.  The dock was filled with fishermen, all of whom seemed to be having great success.  Nice, big, blue fish were being pulled from the water like clockwork.  Arabella and I stood watching for a few minutes.  It wasn't long before Arabella, in her lovely southern way, began chatting away with one of these young fishermen.  He told us that the temperature of the water was perfect this day.  The water was 68 degrees and filled with fish.  2 degrees higher and the fish would be elsewhere. 

"Want to reel one in?" he asked us.  I was the one who was quick to respond.  "Sure," I said.  I asked him how we'd know when a fish was on.  He pointed to the top of his fishing pole.  "You'll see this pole nearly bend in half when a fish is hooked."  Sure enough, two minutes later we saw the pole bend under the weight of its catch. I grabbed the rod and began to reel it in.  Never having caught a big fish before I was a little surprised at the aerobic workout I was instantly getting.  Arabella must have seen the beads of sweat I was starting to produce because she was right there to help.  She supported the rod so I could just focus on reeling.  When the fish got close enough to shore the fisherman grabbed his net, climbed over the chain link fence, and netted it.  A few seconds later I was holding a pretty nice catch of the day.

Now, believe me when I say I fully see the humor in this picture.  It's quite apparent I wasn't intending to go on a fishing expedition.  But maybe that was what was so fun about the whole thing.  It truly was one of the those random moments.  After washing fish residue off my hands I thanked the fisherman and got ready to leave.  I was told the fish was mine to keep, but not being prepared to cook up fish that night, I opted for catch and release.  The fish went back to the water and Arabella and I went off to our evening class.

Later that night as I laid in bed, the Lord began to speak to my heart.  He indicated that He wanted to talk about fishing.  He began to show me that my random fishing moment was a picture of something bigger.  In essence, it was a modern parable.  He retook me through the whole experience, but this time He showed me several principles for fishing for men. 

They were:
 Put your hand in the hand of Jesus.  This is the foundation of good fishing.  If we remain in Him and remain attentive, He will show us the fish.
~ The Lord brought back to mind my parting handshake given to the fisherman.  For some reason my left hand extended making a handshake impossible.  Instead my hand was clasped inside his for a brief second.  The Lord showed me that is exactly what He wants of us in relationship to Him.  He wants our hand to be squarely planted in His.  In other words, He wants us to be intimately connected with Him, able to listen to His voice.

 Lay aside differences and work in unity.  The church is to work in unity to bring the harvest in.  It will take all kinds of people and all kinds of giftings to get the job done.
~ I thought back to the four of us who helped bring in this fish.  Our differences were quite stark, the most obvious being that two of us were not dressed for fishing!  But for several minutes we didn't focus on our differences, rather we worked in perfect unity for a specific purpose...bringing a fish to shore. Which brings me to the next point...

Focus on the objective.  We lay aside our differences for the purpose of focusing on the objective, bringing in the harvest that He shows us.
~ The four of us worked well together not because we thought alike or came from the same background or shared the same political views.  We worked well because we all focused on the same objective-Let's get this fish ashore.

Know the temperature of the water.  Jesus is the one who truly knows when the harvest is ready, but if we stay close to Him, He will show us when the temperature of someone's heart is ready for harvest.  It is only by being in close communication with Him that we'll know the signs of a harvest being ready.  A good fisherman knows when the fish are there and are ready to come in.
~ The fisherman on the dock that day knew the water temperature.  They knew the fish would be there in abundance and they were prepared.

Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.  We may be called into some uncomfortable moments in bringing others from darkness into the light.  Can we be willing to get some dirt on our hands to bring people out of darkness?  Can we be willing to make ourselves vulnerable and be made uncomfortable at times?
~ It was with great pride that I held up this fish for a photo.  Only after throwing it back in did I realize how dirty my hands had become.  The Lord showed me that it was a good dirt.  The dirty hands were worth it when seeing that fish ashore.  Likewise, helping people come out of darkness is worth any good dirt that it causes.

All are called to fish.   I used to think that the work of fishing for men was strictly for the evangelists.  Apparently it's not.  The Lord showed me that He has called all of His church to be fishers of men.  Each one of us can be involved in the process one way or another.  You may be an intercessor who prays faithfully for people, or you may be one who plants seeds.  You may be the person who encourages the people with evangelism gifts, or you may be the person who helps bring healing or discipleship into a new believer's life.  Fishing for men encompasses a whole lot.
~ I thought back to how many steps there were in bringing that one blue fish to shore.  One person had to put the right bait on the line.  Someone then placed that line in the water.  One person watched for the rod to bend.  Someone then grabbed the rod and began to reel.  Another person helped steady and hold the rod.   While someone hopped the fence to net the fish, someone else was keeping a close eye on his buddy ensuring he wouldn't fall in.  All in all, several steps occurred to catch that fish.

Now I'm back home from my weekend in Old Saybrook.  I have no fish in my freezer but just a fish tale to tell.  I threw my fish back to the water and now I throw my fish tale out there to you with an invitation.  Will you fish for men?  Will you do the work that God has for you to do to help bring in the harvest.  I think we if work together in unity, with our hands in the Father's, we may just find that we truly catch more fish!