Fishing in the Sewer

Driving along the road near my house I was startled- not so much because of the usual traffic jam on the busy road, but because of a solitary fisherman.

He was totally oblivious to the hundreds of vehicles barely scraping by him on the side of the road. Leaning over the main drainage canal, he had his pole dangling in the water. I was shocked. The drainage water is nasty- full of garbage bags, plastic wrappers, chemical run-off from urbanization, human waste etc... African urbanization at its worst. Yet, none of this seemed to affect him in the least. Diligently he tried to hook some puny fish that wouldn't have filled up a cat.

As I considered how preposterous his efforts seemed, an even more ludicrous thought suddenly crossed my mind. Dar es Salaam is built on the edge of the Indian Ocean. A body of water that is teeming with fish. This fisherman was standing no more than 1/2 mile from the beach at his current location. Rather than enjoying the white sandy coast lines of Tanzania with the possibility of some wonderful catches like tuna, red snapper, etc... he is fishing for minnows in a polluted urban drainage ditch.

I don't know about you- but fishing in the sewer has never really been my forte.

Yet, it occurs to me that this is a brilliantly clear picture of where many Christians find themselves in 2010. For many, 2009 was difficult at best and they have contented themselves with fishing for God's purposes, plans, and direction in the murky waters of life. A drainage ditch congested by vehicles and plastic bags occupies their pursuit. Meanwhile, the Ocean of God's immeasurable grace, unfathomable goodness, and relentless love is nearby.

I recently preached a message with 3 points that brought out this idea. "NOW IS THE TIME"- to get over our disillusionment with other people, to reject the devil's lies, to let go of the hurts and wounds of the past, and to embrace the Lord's purposes and wonderful plans. "THIS IS THE PLACE"-to allow God to move in our lives, to give Him free reign to accomplish His will, to receive everything He has for us, to make a difference for God. "I AM THE ONE" - to do something for the Lord, to experience His grace and mercy, to touch other for Christ, to enjoy the Ocean of His presence!

I don't know about you- but I'm done fishing for minnows in Dar sewage water! I want the Ocean!