And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
It had been some time since I had heard a direct word from God in my spirit. After all the prison doors had been shut for months, no sermons or teachings were required, and I found myself overly comfortable with my quiet time nuggets.
But this morning was different. Something was stirring. A curiosity of His thoughts towards His girls behind bars. So I asked. A rare occasion for me. Now don’t get twisted, it is simply my asking that is rare, not our fellowship. Years of singleness has made room for a level of intimacy not unlike an old married couple who finishes each other’s sentences.
My question, “What do you call them?” No doubt that may sound odd, but not to my tribe who recognize it as a constant before each outreach event. I want to know who is in the room. I want to know what themes are present. What pain will be confronted? I want to see them individually and collectively as He does. And I want to prepare as I can count on Him making His heart known to them. He didn’t disappoint. He answered immediately. “Anglers.”
Curiosity quickly turned to quandary as I contemplated whether I even knew what the word meant. A sure sign it was His thoughts and not my own. I was certain I had heard the word used in relationship to fishing, maybe even professional fishing? Like all wise scholars, I took to the internet for research. First to Facebook where Zak, the son of one of my favorite people in the world posts his fishing tournament activities. No reference to anglers so I headed over to Google. Don’t hate, you do it too. Something in me was certain I wouldn’t find angler in the concordance of my bible.
An angler is a fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling. Angling is a method of fishing by means of an angle (fish hook). Confirmation but not much help. I look up the word fisherman. A fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water or gathers shellfish. Again not much help. Maybe an angler is a pro? More research is required. No problem since I resemble my first Pastor in the love of a good word study.
Angling is the art or sport of fishing with a rod and line and either a fly or bait, where the object is to have fun. That’s it! In my mind, fishing was a catch-all term which included angling, but also implied the object was to catch fish for food, or as a job.
Whether heard in Sunday school as a small child, or from the pulpit as an adult, virtually anyone familiar with Christianity has heard the story of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew.
Jesus was walking along the sea of Galilee and saw them casting their nets, aka fishing to eat and because it was their profession. Then He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” Mat. 4:19
Jesus was inviting them to be His disciples. Author and former pastor, Jack Deere says discipleship is,
He Calls them Anglers continued
“Doing what you love and bringing others along!”
That’s it. The difference between an angler and a fisherman is the motive of the heart. Hobby girls “fish” because they love it! Not because they “have to” as their Christian duty, earning their reward {to partake; eat}, or as a hireling. But as a daughter who enjoys the family hobby! Even their name, Hobby, makes room for it. Ok, I know that was a stretch. But seriously, the name Hobby carries a lot of unpleasantries for incarcerated women. Isn’t it just like God to use a “play on words” to deliver a truth?
Peter left a job to live out a life of loving! He got to follow his heart, to pursue his dream, to be schooled by the master fisher-man.
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