Summers are for fishing.  For this grandfather, this summer has been for fishing with his grandsons.  Fishing is so much more fun when the fish are biting and you are able to reel them in.  Fortunately, we have been able to catch a good number this summer which has motivated my grandsons to beg to go again…and again…and yet again.

Their father, my eldest son, passed away several years ago and they have missed out on a lot of learning experiences that many of their friends have had with their fathers.  Having a father to teach you how to fish, to hunt, to play baseball and work is a wonderful blessing that most of us take for granted.  I am thrilled to be able to teach them how to fish this summer.

However, there is a measure of frustration involved.  I spend very little time actually fishing with them as most of my time is spent fixing hung-up lines, tangled reels and lost bait.  We have repeatedly proven that “Murphy’s Law” (if something can go wrong, it will) is especially applicable when fishing with grandsons.

I diligently apply preventative measures by warning them:  “Don’t cast near that tree, you will get your line tangled in the branches.”  A few minutes later I am setting a line with another hook, bobber, sinker and bait.

“Don’t cast over those branches under the water.  When you reel back in you will get caught up.”  A few minutes later I am setting a line with another hook, bobber, sinker and bait.   

“Don’t cast over your brother’s line.  You will get all tangled.”  A few minutes later I am trying to check my frustration as I attempt to untangle their lines.  

I thought about my fishing experience with my grandsons today as I was praying to my heavenly Father.  Much of my prayer time is spent asking Him to untangle the messes I’ve made in my life.  Just as my grandsons approach me when they have tangled their lines, I also approach my heavenly Father assuming that he will make everything right.  

We are responsible for creating the tangled knots that prevent us from living our lives in a way that glorifies our Father.  He instructs us how to avoid the dilemmas we create for ourselves.  His Word clearly teaches us how to conduct ourselves in our marriages, and as parents, as employees, etc.  Still, we are sure to get entangled in our own apathy, disobedience, and selfishness and then we often presumptuously run to the Father for help.

Our Father is so very patient with us.  He warns us again and again, and we continue to fail again and again.  Sometimes he forbearingly helps us to solve the problems we have created so that we might once again become effective fishers of men.  Sometimes he doesn’t.  Occasionally, he wants us to learn how to untangle our own mess.  He lets us struggle and experience the frustration and the consequences of our disobedience and carelessness.

When my grandsons approach me in their time of distress, they don’t have to explain.  I already know.  I’m glad to be there for them.  I’m happy to fix their problem and watch the joy on their faces as they finally cast successfully and catch the fish they so eagerly longed to catch.

We don’t have to explain to God the tangled mess we’ve made.  He already knows. “For your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).

It is a great comfort to know that we are never left alone when we face difficult moments.  We do not serve One who “cannot sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). Rather, we serve One who has promised to never leave us or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5) and to be a helper Who is always there for us in our times of trouble.  (Psalm 46:1)