Trout Fishing on the Tuckasegee

September 1, 2015

Trout Fishing on the Tuckasegee

As the deer longs for streams of water,

    so I long for you, O God.

 I thirst for God, the living God.

    When can I go and stand before him?

Psalm 42:1-2

A few days ago I enjoyed a day of trout fishing on the Tuckasegee River, which flows not far from the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. It was a beautiful day in late August, with an almost cloudless sky and temperatures in the low 70’s. My fishing partner, Wayne, is also a retired pastor and had been the founding pastor of a church in Cullowhee forty years ago. He had often fished these waters back then, and delighted in showing me around on his first return to these beautiful environs. We only had a few bites and one keeper for our several hours along the river, but who cares? Basking in the wonder of God’s creation, without the interrupting sounds of modern life, is more than sufficient bounty.

Seldom do I wander along a river bank without thinking of Psalm 42, or Marty Nystrom’s praise song, As The Deer. In the natural quietness, with only the sounds of bees, birds and the water flowing over rocks, I am drawn to worship my God, and to contemplate that I want Him alone to be my strength and shield, that I want my spirit to yield to Him alone.

Not long before I left on my fishing trip I delighted in receiving a phone call from my friend Shelby. The call ended just as Wayne pulled into my driveway, and I departed quickly. It was only as I stood on the bank of the river, squinting as I tried to look into the water, that I realized I had forgotten my Polaroid sunglasses. Soon the list of forgotten items was lengthened. The first century Christians likened their journey with Christ as ‘being on the way.” I am still learning the lesson of how important it is to adequately prepare for life on ‘the way.’ Nevertheless, I was truly blessed to be in a very beautiful place with a brother in Christ. The forgotten items were quickly set aside to be reviewed at another time. In the present moment, I was standing before my God, and I didn’t want any distractions from his magnificent presence in the wonder of His creation. (My fondness for the Celtic Christian tradition of finding God in nature is growing by leaps and bounds.)

As the deer panteth for the water
    So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
    And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
    To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
    And I long to worship You

As the Deer

Marty Nystrom

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.