Gone Fishing

One of my often-played CDs is titled Souls Alike. It contains a collection of songs written by a number of up and coming songwriters and sung by Bonnie Raitt. The second track, called God Was in the Water, speaks to me for some reason.

Here are the words:

God was in the water that day

Pickin'through the roots and stones

Trippin' over sunken logs

Tryin' not to make his presence known.


God was in the water that day

Wadin' in careful steps

Bubbles rising from his feet

Comin' up from the muddy depths


Castin' out a line

Castin'out a line into the shadows

Castin' out a line, but no one's biting


I sit at my pitiful desk

Starin' at the colorless walls

Wishin' I was any place else

Down into a dream I fall

Sittin' in a tiny boat

Driftin' on the mindless sea

And if I disappear

At least I'm floating free


Castin' out a line

Castin' out a line into the shadows

Castin' out a line but no one's biting



God was in the air that day

Breathin' out a haunted breeze

Tryin' not to make a sound

Shufflin' through the dried up leaves


God was in the air that day

Circlin' like a drunken hawk

Sweepin' with a hungry eye

Over the ground I walk


Castin' out a line

Castin' out a line into the shadows

Castin' out a line but no one's biting.

(Randall Bramblett/Davis Causey)



It makes me wonder.

Could God be "casting out a line" for me somehow?


And why don't I "bite"?


It reminds me that living life relying only on what the world offers is unfulfilling, bland, and aimless. And ironically, while I cast around looking for meaning on my own terms, God is still patiently seeking me in infinite ways and places.


And what about us as a church?

Can we see all the places that God is seeking us?

What kind of "bait" does God use, and how often do we ignore it?

Why do we ignore it?

What if all of us, both as individuals, and together as a church, made a point, even for a little while, to notice the ways in which God seeks us?


I believe that God has wonderfully equipped every one of us with all that we need to bring to each other and the community around us more than just a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.


All we need to do is "bite".