Fishing Boats and Trusting God

 Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

A few years back, I had just gotten a new boat in which to fish. And I really didn’t know much about boats or fishing from a boat. I mean virtually nothing. So a friend of mine invited me to go out fishing with his friend, Art. I accepted the invite, knowing this would be a great opportunity to learn about boating and fishing.

The appointed time to meet was 5:30AM. When I arrived at the dock to meet Art and Mike, the wind was blowing pretty hard. The lake we were going out on was big and wide, which meant the waves would be high. 

Art was a fisherman and guide by trade, so the wind didn’t bother him. But it sure bothered me. In the boat we went and as soon as got in, I put on my life jacket! Once we got out of the harbor, the waves really picked up. The boat would rise up and then crash down, splashing all of us in the boat. 

I noticed Art was unconcerned, but kept making small adjustments to the steering wheel. I went up front to ask him how things were going. His answer, as typical of a native Mainer, was fine. 

After a few minutes I asked him if the lake was rough. Again he answered with one word, yes.

So I finally asked the question I silently had been wondering; are we okay out here? 

This time I got more than a one word answer; Yes, I am steering into each wave, I have slowed the boat and put the prop way down.