What can you do when your mind is troubled with seemingly endless stress? After I have prayed—and prayed some more—I go for a walk.

As the relentless heat from the sun gave way to a little breeze off the large lake near our home late yesterday afternoon, Bruce and I went for a walk. Several ladies were fishing using a unique device and method, as you see above. It is almost always ladies who seem to do this kind of fishing. The men tend to stand on or very near the shore and cast the net out or have multiple fishing rods.

Several things occurred to me as I watched the process that afternoon. First, the person desiring to catch the fish goes out into the water, sometimes quite deeply. She has to get into the water with the fish, and she is most successful when she observes where the schools of fish are close together. We, too, must go out into the city where people gather and mingle to make contact with those precious souls searching for answers to life’s dilemmas or who might be open to spiritual conversations.

Secondly, the fisher must be alert and sensitive to find the good spots where her net will bring in the best catch. Her past experiences can help with this task as she becomes familiar with her fishing area. We need to become familiar with our target areas in the city so we can be a comfortable, familiar and friendly face.

Thirdly, as the fisher stands strongly in the midst of the waters, often a long way from shore, with a special net tied to her side to contain the catch close to her, so we must be bold and fearless, keeping those contacts close to us for safety and to nurture them in the net of Christ Jesus.

As I look at the world around me and realize the lost condition of the teeming millions in our Asian home, my heart aches. There is an urgency, as never before, that is building in my bones to plead for the Holy Spirit’s anointing and to boldly proclaim the good news of a soon-coming Savior. Let us pour our hearts and souls into the work that God has called us to do: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17 NKJV).

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