They were off in the rowboat for a picnic! Under one of the seats was a frying pan and some bread and butter sandwiches. They planned to catch fish on the way, and when they reached Indian Point, a mile or so up the shore, they would have a fish fry.
Indian Point was a favorite spot. It had a dandy sandy beach. There were rocks and boulders to climb and play upon, and back in the woods there was an interesting Indian grave. A long, low house covered the grave with a birch bark canoe crumbling within it. At the foot of the grave the house had a small hole through which the Indians poked food for the dead Indian’s spirit to eat.
Jean and her brother and sisters were sorry that the Indian had never heard of the Lord Jesus and trusted Him as his Savior as they had. Jean was only six, but she had belonged to the Savior for over a year.
The oldest sister was trolling from the back seat of the boat, but the fish didn’t seem interested in biting that day. As they neared Indian Point dark, clouds were covering the sun. Soon big drops of rain began to spatter around them.
“Some picnic this is going to be!” Sally cried with disappointment. “Look! It’s going to rain—and we didn’t catch a single fish!”
The boat had touched the shore, and Jean scrambled out over the prow. Looking back at the others she saw that her sister Mary was still winding her trolling line in slowly.
It was strange that she had not taken it in sooner, for there were weeds near the shore, and the fishing was not good there.
As Jean watched she suddenly thought, “God could still put a fish on Mary’s line! Of course, there are only pickerel in as close to the shore as this—but God can do anything! I’ll ask Him to put a big wall-eyed pike on her hook—a BIG one so that there will be enough for all of us!”
Closing her eyes Jean asked the Lord to do just that! When she opened her eyes she heard Mary saying, “Guess I’ve got weeds on my hook, it feels sort of heavy. I should have wound my line in sooner.”
Jean was so excited she could hardly breathe! She and God had a secret that none of the others knew! Those weren’t weeds on Mary’s line—it was a big wall-eyed pike that God had put there—they would soon see!
The drops of rain were falling faster now, so Mary hurried with the last of her line. “My, but it does feel—” she lifted the end of her line, and a large wall-eyed pike flopped into the boat at her feet!
What laughing and joy there was then! With shining eyes Jean helped the others pull the boat clear up out of the water. Then they tipped it up onto its side and propped it on big rocks so that they could build a fire and sit under its shelter as it rained.
How good the fish smelled in the frying pan! What fun it was to sit sheltered, listening to the rain upon the boat over their heads. It was the nicest picnic they had ever had, Jean thought.
The fish was done. As they bowed their heads to give thanks Jean’s heart said a special thank you to the Lord for answering her first prayer so wonderfully!
Today Jean is still fishing, but now it is for boys and girls! One day she heard the Lord Jesus saying to her, “Follow Me, and I will make you a fisher of men.”
Gladly she followed, and she has found that it is real joy to fish for the Savior. Her first prayer was for a fish to eat that picnic day. Now she is praying for “living fish”—boys and girls—who will come to the Lord Jesus and receive Him as their personal Savior!