Friday, March 30, 2012

Immediately!

"Follow Me, and I will make you Fishers of Men."
Matthew 4:19

When I was a boy, my family lived on a five acre wooded spread.  My backyard was a three acre gravel pit.  After my chores, I would play army and other things like throwing dirt bombs in the gravel pit.  At the back of the pit, the border of our property was lined with another stretch of woods where us kids would build our forts - five acres away in a serene quiet setting from my house.  From the back of the property you would hear no cars, almost nothing except the wind blowing through the pines.


At suppertime, my 5'7" father would call out, "Edvard, coma zee here, mach schnell!"  This translates, "Edward, come to dinner and make haste!"

Dad had this booming voice for a little man, so it was no problem hearing him with all this quiet around me - and he knew it!

There was a rule at our house also - he would only call once.  You had one chance to respond - correctly.  Dad would never, ever, accept a negative  response.  Dad, with his faux German accent, made sure that you recognized his voice.  He made it distinctive from anybody else's voice.  No tower of Babel here!  His was authority personified.  He was in charge.  He was the boss.  Failure to respond - failure to come running -  had its consequences.  Upon arriving late to the table, one might find his dish removed, less food to eat, or since he had to wait for you - you would now have to wait until he was finished.  Needless to say, this never happened to me for God had blessed me with exceptional hearing.  Plus, that extra spring in my running legs

I had learned the meaning of "immediately""Mach schnell" rhymed with "now"!

Peter, Andrew, James, and John also knew the word, "immediately".  The word is recorded in both verses, 20 and 22 of Matthew 4.  They heard His Voice calling for them while fishing.  The same Voice that said, "Let there be Light" lit a fire in their hearts.  They knew that Voice. 

If you've ever gone fishing, you'll know that it is really quiet out on the water.  No distractions, no noise, and certainly no busyness!  All one might hear is the breeze going through your nets, or brushing against your fishing line.


With that kind of quiet, I imagine that these fishermen heard Jesus very well.  There would be no excuses.   They heard Him so well, in fact, that they could hear between the lines.

"Follow me NOW, and you'll land the Big One!"

What fisherman has never dreamed of hooking Melville's Moby Dick, or the swordfish in Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea?

Fishing takes patience.  Fishing takes skill.  But, most of all, the best fishing is in the quiet.  You have to be still to feel the tug on the line.  My Heavenly Father's Voice comes in a still small Voice.  If I am still and quiet, and know that He is God - if I free myself from the world's noise, the world's distractions, the world's busyness - that still small Voice will boom in my ears and I'll hear, "Edward, let's go fishing, mach schnell!"

I pray that I will immediately respond and drop a line in the pond for men's souls, feel the tug, and perhaps, land the Big One!  And, I won't have to worry about getting my plate pulled away from His table!

What do you think?  How do you Read?


Sharing Immediately this week with:
Faith Filled Fridays at Beholding Glory

4 comments:

  1. Mother blew a policemans whistle from the back porch to signal that it was dinner time. We could hear it from the school yard a block away.

    We recognize voices, sounds and might we always pay attention to our Lord when He speaks to us.
    Other wise we might miss out on something great that he has prepared for us.

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  2. Love this post! I grew up in a small town, on the same street as many aunts and uncles. My cousins and I would play in a nearby park each afternoon. At supper time, our fathers would summon us--each with a unique yell or whistle. We also learned to respond very quickly! . . . I hope I do the same with my Lord. I'm visiting with the Beholding Glory blog hop. Blessings!

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  3. Sounds like you had the ideal childhood. Children who have to be told a hundred times to do something couldn't understand this. It is so sad to see the way children treat their parents these days, and it isn't their fault. The parents should demand and deserve respect.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

    ReplyDelete

I welcome your comments and conversation as we enter into His Story together!

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