Pray First!

Why is it hard to remember the most basic thing? I’m talking about prayer. It should be as natural as breathing. But sometimes we forget.

I spent the afternoon with some friends. Our mission: to safely move small fish from one pond to another.

The former pond came with a house purchased by a friend who wasn’t able to care for the fish. In the next county over, another friend wanted fish to populate a small backyard pond. We would be helping both of them by moving the fish.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, those fish are very smart. They are good at hiding, and they move really fast. No matter what we tried, nothing seemed to work.

After numerous attempts to catch even one of the small fish, we finally stopped and said, “We should pray!”

Who better to help and guide us than our creator God who made those fish?

We took some time to pray and ask for God’s help to move these creatures to their new home where they would be well cared for.

Within minutes of our prayer, the fish started darting toward the net. One at a time. The net would go in the water, in would go a fish, and the fish would be scooped up and placed in the carrier. When the net was lowered back into the water, in came another fish.

It was amazing to see what was happening.

God was responding to our prayer.

To think of the time and energy we had spent trying to do this on our own, without asking for God’s help. Prayer should have been the first thing we did before trying anything.

At least we figured it out along the way, with His prompting.

We caught the fish, brought them to their new home, and transferred them in the way we were taught. The new fish owner was overjoyed to have that backyard pond filled with fish.

Today, those fish are thriving. Thanks to God’s answer to prayer.

Not only did the fish find a new home that day, but we also got a great reminder to always pray first. No matter what we are doing, we need God’s help.

And we want His company and friendship. When we extend an invitation for friends to join in a project, God should be included on that guest list. Not only was He able to help us move those fish, but I know He also loved spending time with His friends.

Lord, help us always to remember to pray first, rather than trying to do things on our own and leaving You out. Help us remember to invite and include You in all we do. In Jesus’ name. Amen