03-11-13 - "The Fishing Tournament and the River
Vision"
I found myself sitting on a huge boulder by the side
of a swift running river next to Jesus. He is also sitting on a boulder near
mine and we are enjoying the day. The sun is bright and it is morning. I look
down at the water as it swirls around the rocks that are along the edges and it
swiftly laps at the base of my boulder. I feel so relaxed here just listening
to the sounds of the river's water and it feels like a dream. I leaned back on
my rock and watched the glimmering water as it sped past us. Then I began to
hear faint voices. I turned to see where the voices were coming from. They were
faint, but clear. I then noticed that down the river from where we were sitting
was a basin type part of the river that opened up to a wider part of the river.
Men had come to the basin area with their fishing boats. They had fancy fishing
boats and some had big motors on them. Their boats were brilliantly painted
with vivid sparkling colors. There were a few smaller boats and most had 2 men
in them, some had 3. I noticed then that they were having a fishing tournament.
I could hear them occasionally calling to one another. The men in the nearest
boat were the ones that I heard talking. I could not understand their words as
they were too far to hear clearly, but I could tell they were excited.
All of a sudden, I could now see them closer. The men
had really fancy electronic equipment in their boat. They had instruments that
read the water for signs of fish, and they had many fishing poles all ready to
go. One man was putting a lure on a final pole. While the other man was
steering the boat closer to the shallows in the basin area. The other men in
the other boats were also busy getting themselves in position too. I saw a man
onshore, who began to call to the men in the boats. He was telling them their tournament
times and leadership positions in the tournament. He had a clipboard in his
hand and was keeping track of their catches. There was a tower erected not far
from the man on the shoreline, and this was where they recorded the catches and
measured the fish that were brought in. The fish were hung up and then
measured, photographed and then thrown into buckets off by the side. The fish
were sloshing around in the buckets wildly. People were gathering to the
shoreline as the day progressed, and because they also heard the voices of the
tournament, and they came to watch the progress of the fishermen.
All of a sudden I could see even closer into the boat
that was closest to us, and the 2 men were now busy getting their poles ready
and into position to throw them into the water. One man had a brilliant green lure
that sparkled with little fuzzy things on the ends to cover up the hooks. He
stood up and threw that pole into the water and then set it in a holder on the
side of the boat. He reached out and got a second pole and put some kind of
smaller bait fish on it, and also smeared some paste stuff on it, and then he
also set that one up and threw it in. He set it on the holder next to him too.
He sat down to watch the 2 poles. The other man played with his instruments and
was trying to see if he could see where the fish were. He finally got bored
with that and got his pole ready and he put a fly on it and began to swish it
in the air back and forth to land it on the water, and then he would pull it
back. He did this over and over. I looked out farther to the other boats, and
the other boats were all fishing with their various poles and things too. Some
caught fish here and there, and a few were bigger fish. When they caught a big
fish they would shout and stand up in their boat to let the others know what
they caught. I thought to myself, "they should be quiet or they will scare
the fish away." Then they sat down and hurriedly got their poles ready for
another try.
I noticed that a bigger crowd formed by the opposite
shore now and more boats entered the waters. Soon, more fishermen were boating
all around the basin and out into the mouth of the river where it went out even
further. The men who were working as directors along the shore also added more
staff as the spectators grew. The tower got bigger and the charts were set up
so that all of the crowd could see the results as the fish came in during the
day. Soon, vendors began to come and sold water and drinks and food to the
crowds who watched the fishing tournament. It became more like a holiday event
than a quiet fishing tournament. But the fishermen who were in the boats also noticed
that the crowds were increasing and they loved the attention, so they began to
come to shore every time they got a big fish just so it could be recorded and
weighed for all the crowds to see. This caused traffic congestion in the river,
and boats began to get confused as to who was going out and who was coming in,
and arguments began to erupt among the boaters as to who was next, and to who
was supposed to be in the next position. They even began to argue over which
part of the river they were to fish in.
The crowds began to take sides and began to cheer on
some of their favorite fishermen, or they would boo some of those who didn't
get such a big fish. They began to yell insults at the ones that were not so
fortunate. They sat on their chairs and stood by the river side, and some
people even tried to tell the fishermen in their boats how to fish. Some were
challenging their methods and making the fishermen in the boats upset. A few
fights erupted and the shore workers had to bring order among the spectators.
Jesus only watched all of this with interest but He said nothing. As the day
wore on, the fishing slowed down and not much came in as the day got later.
Some of the crowd got disinterested when the catches were not coming in fast
enough to keep them interested, so they began to leave one by one. When the
fishermen in the boats saw that the crowds were thinning they began to do
things in the boats to get noticed. One man tied red strips of cloth to his
boat to make it more noticeable and when the wind caught it, it looked like the
strips of cloth were flying like kites. One boy took pictures of it with his
camera. Another boater began to give demonstrations to some of the closer shoreline
onlookers from where he was just off of the shoreline, and the people began to
flock to where he was. Another man hung his fish that he had caught up on a string
line tied crosswise in his boat instead of being put in his catch well, and the
fish were hanging where they could be visible so the onlookers could see their
trophies before they got to shore to be measured. The fish were wriggling
helplessly, but the fisherman was smiling as the people watched.
Then I saw Jesus stand up on his boulder, so I also
stood up. I was getting tired of watching the fishermen anyways. He walked down
the shoreline to another spot that was more quiet and had fewer bigger
boulders, but it was a more sandier spot and the waters were quieter. Jesus
stood looking along the shoreline with his eyes till He caught sight of
something. I followed His gaze and then I saw a man who had waders on and a net
in his hand. He didn't have a fishing pole though, just a net. His waders were
green and he was a tall man, with a checkered flannel shirt on under his
waders. He carefully waded out into the river and stood in the slowly moving
waters. He smiled at the water and ran his hands through the waters briefly as
if to test the current. Then he lifted his face to heaven and began to sing. I
was amazed. This man was singing as he stood there with his net in his hand. He
sang softly but clearly and his voice carried over the waters. He was singing
songs to the Lord. He had his eyes closed and I saw that he did not falter in
the water at all. He then opened his eyes and sang a little louder, as he
watched the waters around him for signs of fish.
I knew that the fishing tournament was still going on,
but we could not see it anymore. But every once in awhile you could hear a
shout from one of the fisherman that caught a fish or had won the crowds approval.
I looked at Jesus and He was watching the man that was singing, and Jesus was
smiling and tears were in His eyes. He was moved by the man's songs. I could feel
the Lord's approval and His love for this man. I noticed that the river water
began to stir and bubble here and there. There looked like little eddy's were
forming all around the man who was singing. The man smiled but kept singing and
then I noticed that fish were gathering to the man. They heard the songs that
he was singing to the Lord. The sound carried his songs in the water. The vibrations
from his voice were carried in the air and in the water. The fish were coming
to see what the sound was that they felt, because they were drawn to the
vibrations in his voice.. Soon the water all around the man was moving and
bubbling, and churning as fish began to flop and jump and swim past him
eagerly. He laughed and lowered his net into the water. The fish were so
excited by the vibrations from his singing that they swam and leaped into the net easily. He just
scooped them up and made for the shoreline where He had baskets and containers
waiting for the catches.
The Lord then turned to me and said, "No amount
of equipment, or lures, or fancy gear, or fishing programs like these
tournaments you watched today will enhance or hasten a catch. You may catch
some, but they will not be the bigger ones that men compete for. No amount of
competition, or showmanship, or popularity will increase the effectiveness of
fishing, nor will it make you a better fisherman. Men think that they have to
perform to produce something that will attract the world. But all they really
do is attract themselves and their own kind. The key to real fishing is love.
My Love is what draws men to Me. My Glory and My Presence will gather around
anyone that loves and honors Me, even as they love and honor Me before men.
When you sincerely love Me with your heart, and sing My praises before men,
then the true fishing can begin! When I am lifted up before men, then I will
draw all men unto Myself. It is time to fish for men with My Presence. As you
release the measure of love that I have placed within you, and as you speak of
Me wherever you go, then My voice will be heard within yours, and men will be
drawn to you. You do not need men's programs, costly tournaments, contests to
draw the biggest crowds, the latest fads, or fancy gear. You only need Me. I
will teach you to fish for men, and I will do it when you have learned to love
sincerely. When you learn to love Me and love each other with the same measure
of love, then you can walk down into My River and begin to harvest for the
souls of men. I know where the fish are. I hide them from the showmen, and the
sportsmen, and the religious competitors. But I do reveal them to the ones that
love Me with all their hearts."
"My Healing
River
-Then the vision ended.
John 12:31 Now the judgment (crisis) of
this world is coming on [sentence is now being passed on this world]. Now the
ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world shall be cast out (expelled). 32 And
I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and
attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.
John 6:44 No one is able to come to Me
unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire
to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.
Matthew 13:47 "Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every
kind.
John 21:1 AFTER THIS, Jesus let Himself
be seen and revealed [Himself] again to the disciples, at the Sea of Tiberias Galilee ,
also the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples. 3 Simon Peter said
to them, I am going fishing! They said to him, And we are coming with you! So
they went out and got into the boat, and throughout that night they caught
nothing. 4 Morning was already breaking when Jesus came to the beach and stood
there. However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said
to them, Boys (children), you do not have any meat (fish), do you? [Have you
caught anything to eat along with your bread?] They answered Him, No! 6 And He
said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find
[some]. So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in for such
a big catch (mass, quantity) of fish [was in it]. 7 Then the disciple whom
Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! Simon Peter, hearing him say that it
was the Lord, put (girded) on his upper garment (his fisherman's coat, his
outer tunic)--for he was stripped [for work]--and sprang into the sea. 8 And
the other disciples came in the small boat, for they were not far from shore,
only some hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. 9 When they got
out on land (the beach), they saw a fire of coals there and fish lying on it
[cooking], and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish which you
have just caught. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land,
full of large fish, 153 of them; and [though] there were so many of them, the
net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, Come [and] have breakfast. But none of
the disciples ventured or dared to ask Him, Who are You? because they [well]
knew that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to
them, and so also [with] the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus
revealed Himself (appeared, was manifest) to the disciples after He had risen
from the dead. 15 When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of
John, do you love Me more than these [others do--with reasoning, intentional,
spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You
know that I love You [that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for
You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Feed My lambs. 16 Again He said to
him the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with reasoning,
intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes,
Lord, You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal
affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Shepherd (tend) My
sheep. 17 He said to him the third time,
Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal
affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and
hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to
Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep,
instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to
him, Feed My sheep.
Matthew 4:19 And He said to them, Come
after Me [as disciples--letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make
you fishers of men!
Mark 1:17 And Jesus said to them, Come
after Me and be My disciples, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
-Susan O'Marra
-03-11-13
