It’s that time of year again, the time when I usually enjoy a good plate of crappie. A few years ago, as many of you know, one of my uncles who loves to fish, introduced me to crappie. I just love it. For the first few years when it was the season and timing to catch them, I enjoyed the fruit of his labor. It was awesome. But this year, just like last year, for some reason he has not been able to catch any crappie. He has gone out time after time yet caught nothing.
My uncle is a veteran, a wounded veteran, and some things are hard for him. He was shot numerous times when he was in the war, walking is a challenge for him but he keeps moving. For this reason he does much of his fishing off the banks of the river. It is very difficult for him to get his boat in the water by himself and he simply won’t ask for help.
One day last year I was speaking with my aunt, I told her I had seen dozens of boats going to the river by my house and I started to ask if they caught any crappie – just kidding. She said that my uncle had been many times but was fishing off the bank. She said one of the fishermen he knows said they were only being caught in the deep this year. Nothing was being caught off the banks of the river, and they said, if you were going to catch crappie you would have to fish in the deep places.
Well, you know me, and you know this caught my attention.
I have had many emails about people who still are waiting to see the hand of God move in their life. Some have been trusting God for years and are still being faithful and waiting but they want to know when they will see their fulfillment, and rightly so. I wish I had the answer for the timing; all I do know is that God is faithful and if he said it, he will bring it to pass.
This all made me think of a familiar passage in the Bible found in Luke 5:4-6; When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
I completed a word study on some of these scriptures; I want to share what I found. To launch out means to do it one more time, to return to what you have already done, and to move forward. The deep means, the deep place, the deep things of God.
I know, I know. Many of you have cast your nets so often you can’t remember the times. I understand waiting on a prayer to be answered that you have prayed for years. I understand, I am there myself. Abraham was there. David was there. My goodness, Joseph was certainly there. You see, we are in good company. And we have one option. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep doing all we know to do knowing that God can’t lie.
But friends, some things won’t be caught sitting on the banks of the river. For some things, big things, desirable things, we may have to launch out into the deep one more time and let down our nets. I know you have been toiling all night. I know. But if Jesus says to you ‘it is in the deep.’ Then you must launch out into the deep. One more time.
I believe and I will always believe the word of God. It is God’s plan for us to walk in the blessing of God. It is his word, it is his promise. We can’t quit. We can’t stop. We can’t give up. We simply have to keep casting our net. As you do, know that we are praying for you diligently and will continue to. God Bless.
We must learn to not only cast into the deep but to live in the deep things of God, there we will continually walk in His blessings. We do that by staying in His presence, seeking His face, studying His word, worshipping Him and refusing to quit. And…if you are enjoying crappie this year, think of me…and say a prayer that crappie will come our way.
