Slack Water

“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord’s word, seated at His feet. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” � Luke 10:38-42

I’m still walking on water after my big trip to Alaska. One of the highlights was an all-day fishing excursion for salmon and halibut, which turned out to be fruitful. We all limited out (3 salmon and 2 halibut each.)

I’d love to take credit for that, but the fact that all six of did is a credit to our captain, John Moline. Captain John is a student of fishing, and a passionate one at that. I might add that few other boats all limited out the day I was there; not only that, but wherever we went, other boats would end up as well. John is a fisherman’s fisherman. Which brings me to my point.

During the run out to our spot, John received numerous radio calls from other skippers. One, in particular, was looking ling cod, a delicious bottom-dweller. This skipper was a few miles from us, near a small island, and reporting no results. John encouraged the man to seek other species, as it was mid-tide, a fact that was lost me (and apparently the other fishless skipper.)

Finally, he relented and went out to one of the many halibut spots. A quizzical look from me brought an explanation. It seems that at the time, the tide was racing in, creating swift flowing water, especially on the rocks below the waterline, creating an environment where the bottom fish would be forced to drift with the curent away from the island, and also made it nearly impossible to feed, or to fish for them. Better, John went on, to wait for the slack tide at high and low tides. The water is still, the fish move and feed during this time.

It’s when things are quiet, undisturbed by the cares of the day, that you and I can feed. Feed on the very Word of God, (My flesh is true food, and my blood true drink, John 6:55) When the tides of life flood in, the eddies and roils of life upset aour ability to take spiritual nourishment, an we are committed to dealing with them.

My friend, feed during the slack water.

A River of Impossibility

Some of my fondest memories in Youth Ministry was taking my kids White Water River Rafting down the American South Fork in Central California. On numerous occasions, we would load the youth in vans and drive the eight hours necessary to enjoy our retreats. On one of our trips, the river was bulging to a level 4 and we warned the kids to be careful. You see, a level 4 could bring serious harm if we weren’t sensitive to the water’s power and strength. Well, as you might suspect, a young man named Chris, our perpetual goof-ball, began to mess around at the exact wrong time. As we were heading down a large water fall and entering what they called Devil’s Turnpike - into the water Chris went. I’ll never forget the look on his white spooked face- a look of fear & I’ll never goof off again if you just save me! The story ended well, my friend & youth counselor Gary, hoisted Chris back into the raft & gave him a good ol’ Australian lecture.

The other morning, I was reading in the book of Joshua, chapter three. The Priests were instructed by Joshua to step into a bulging river; the Jordan River. At this time of the season, this Jordan River became a River of Impossibility. Specifically, the river was at the very least a level 4 and without Divine intervention, the Children of Israel could in no way enter the Promised Land. You see, Joshua, the Priests and some 2 million Israelites had to trust the Lord, relinquish human reason & understanding and simply rest in the promise that God had already given them the land. Their role: believe! And, guess what? God delivered, just like He did for them the previous forty years in the wilderness and now they were able to enter from an Impossibility to a Land of Possibility, if you will, a land of Great Promise.

Likewise, today you may be faced with an impossibility. That river called life is not only a level 4, it is crashing in on you like never before! And, you need Divine Intervention and help or else, you’ll succumb to drowning. Listen closely: just like the Israelites were confronted with an impossibility and exampled faith for us, you too must rest in His promise, relinquish your human reason and understanding & watch the Lord part your personal river in a most intimate way. Be comforted that God is the Philippines 4:19 Deliverer and as you trust Him to take your River of Impossibility into His hands, He will be to you that Ephesians 3:20 Savior He loves to be!

May the Lord bless you today as you seek to bring Him Glory with your life!

Pastor Randy