Our grandaughter caught her first fish this weekend! WOO HOO!
I’m reminded what Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19AKJV. Another translation says, “Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.”
Sometimes I’m burdened because I want to witness, to evangelize, to bring lost to Jesus, and I feel like I fail so miserably. But this morning I learned something very important from the Lord: HE will teach me HOW to do it, in HIS way, in HIS timing. I learned that the most important thing for me to be doing is to be listening for HIS instructions every day. And He gave me a good example of how this works.
I am a manager at a fast food restaurant. I work with many young people that are hurting and struggling. They need Jesus. They just don’t know they do. They have been blinded by the world. They think the best they can hope for is the partying that they talk about all the time. One of our backline cooks is a young man that’s kind of a loner. I’ve seen him carry around books about New Age, and Muslim and other cultish beliefs. I’ve never had an opportunity to talk to him about it. But on Sunday he told me he was going to be taking his GED test on Monday. On Monday morning, when I was spending time in the Word, the Lord just layed him on my heart so heavily! It was amazing. So I prayed that the Lord would help him get through that test, and do something amazing for him.
I went to work Monday afternoon, and he was working that night. I asked him how it went. He said, “Amazingly well! I did really good. It seemed way too easy!” And then I told him how the Lord had placed him on my heart and prompted me to pray for him. He didn’t say much. He said, “Thank you.” I’m sure the Lord will be saying more to him, on his heart.
Then, on Tuesday at work, a young girl shared how she was going to go to the doctor on Wednesday. When I asked her what was wrong, she started naming off some medical things, but then she started tearing up, and said she wanted to ask the doctor for some anti-depressants. She said she felt like she was going crazy. Her family situation is a mess. Her sister just recently tried to commit suicide. Her boyfriend isn’t giving her any emotional support.
How I wanted to tell her about Jesus right then. But it was like the Lord was holding my tongue. What I said instead, and I felt the love the compassion that I know was Jesus himself, I said, “Amy, I love you. I’m so sorry.” It’s wierd. Those few words I could tell, had such an impact on her.
Then this morning, (Wednesday morning) when I was spending time with the Lord, again I heard Him tell me to pray for someone, for this young girl. And I did. I asked God to supernaturally intervene in her situation. To guide the doctors this morning. To bring her to Him through all of this.
And tomorrow, when I see her at work. I will tell her also how God laid her on my heart; how God had me praying for her.
So what’s my point? It is that JESUS teaches us how to be fishers of men. Let us not ever think WE know how to witness. Only Jesus knows how. Because I believe every single person that is reached by Jesus, is done so when Jesus meets them in THEIR situation. Their personal situation. Let us remember that witnessing is such a personal thing and daily listen for the Lord’s direction, guidance and instructions.
River Ramblings 