Fishing Lesson

We went fishing this afternoon, and much to our disappointment, we did not catch a thing. It reminded me of the story of the disciples that fished all night and came up empty handed. Then the Lord came along and simply said, "Cast your nets on the other side," and their nets were full to overflowing. This is what I am praying for--an intervention from the Lord.

It seems we are casting our nets on the wrong side of the boat. Nothing we have tried on our own has panned out. We are tired from the endless casting. We are struggling to make ends meet. God knows where those perfect jobs are. We are trying so hard to hear His voice. I keep thinking there is something somewhere we are missing. When you pray over every application, every interview, every opportunity, and all you hear are "no's," then something definitely, or Someone is trying to tell you, "Cast your net on the other side." Problem is, I'm not sure how to go about it. We've cast our nets everywhere. Where else is left? Or does it just seem like everywhere? We haven't gotten it right yet evidently.

The disciples were like us. They were doing all they knew to do. The fish were right there nearby, but until the Master spoke and told them where to go looking, their efforts were in vain.
Maybe I need to do more praying on the front end, before the interviews, before the applications. Maybe I need to say, "God, show me where to go today," instead of just casting out on my own and then asking Him if that was what He wanted. I'm sure if the disciples had consulted the Lord before striking out in the boat, He would have told them where to find the fish. Maybe they thought they knew more than He did. After all, fishing was their livelihood. Who else would know fish better? They forgot one thing: the Creator of the fish knew better than the fisherman.

Lord, help me today and in the days to come to let go and let You guide my footsteps. Help me to delight myself in You as You direct my paths. I know if You made a way for the children of Israel all those years in the desert, then You will make a way for me. I know if You fed the five thousand with the offering of a little boy, that you will surely feed me and my family. I know if You can cause manna to fall from the sky and water pour from a rock, that You were well able to provide for us. I know that the righteous are never forsaken. Help me God. Tell me where to cast the net. Then, let me be willing to do whatever it is that You ask. For You are the very air I breathe, and without You, there is no life. Everything I am and everything I could ever hope to become is totally dependent upon the mercy You have shown me. Without You I am lost and utterly without hope. I give it all to You--the hopes, the dreams, the disappointments, the failures, the ups and downs, the extraordinary and the mundane. It's all Yours Lord. Take this vessel You've made and do as You will and for Your glory.