The Red Fish Man
When God Provides in Unexpected Ways
Have you ever wondered how God was going to provide, only to discover that His answer looked nothing like what you expected?
My co-worker Peggy recently shared a story with us that I haven’t been able to forget. When Peggy and her husband, Ron, were newly married, they packed up their belongings and moved to Florida. They arrived without jobs and with just enough money to get an apartment. Then the waiting began. They applied for job after job. One week passed with no success. Then two weeks. Their resources were getting smaller, but their need remained.
One day, Ron announced that he was going fishing. When he arrived at the lake with his rod and reel, the other fishermen were using cane poles, which were common for freshwater fishing in the area. Then Ron made a bold declaration: “I’m going to catch a red fish.” The other fishermen laughed. They didn’t expect him to catch much with the equipment he had, and they certainly didn’t expect him to catch a red fish. According to Peggy, no one had seen one in that lake for years. But Ron cast his line anyway. And then something remarkable happened. He caught a red fish. Ron took the fish home, and it provided food for him and Peggy during a time when they desperately needed it. But the story didn’t end there. The next time Ron went fishing, he caught another red fish. Then another. And another. He caught them so consistently that the people around the lake eventually gave him a nickname: “The Red Fish Man.”
During a season when this young couple had no jobs and didn’t know where their provision would come from, somehow there was food on their table. Then one day, Ron finally got a job. And from that moment on, something changed. He never caught another red fish. Perhaps that is what makes Peggy and Ron’s story so memorable. The provision came during the season when they needed it most. And when one source of provision was no longer necessary, another had already opened. Sometimes we expect God’s provision to arrive in a particular package, a paycheck, an opportunity, a person, or an open door. But sometimes it looks like a fishing rod, a lake, and a red fish no one expected to be there.
Scripture reminds us: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19
Maybe you’re in your own season of waiting right now. You’ve prayed. You’ve applied. You’ve tried. And you’re wondering when the answer will come. Don’t assume that because you cannot see the provision, God isn’t providing. Your answer may come from a direction you never considered. Your “red fish” may already be on its way. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep casting your line. God knows exactly what you need.
