Job 12:9–10 “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
I was fishing—settled in, patient, doing what I came to do. I felt in control of the moment. I had hooked one! As I was pulling the fish in, an otter surfaced. Calm and unbothered, he took the fish off the hook, ate it, and swam off vocalizing as though the whole exchange amused him.
No warning. No apology. Just a reminder.
For a moment, I wanted to call it bad luck, or unfair. I could have said that fish should have been mine.
But listen as Job’s words press in. Every living thing. Every breath. Is in His (God’s) hand.
That otter was not out of bounds. He was on assignment. Not to teach me about fishing, but about control.
On another day, I was at a different stream fishing. I hooked a fish. As I reeled the line in, I noticed that something else was attached to the fish. A snake, or an eel, was biting down on the fish. I can’t say for sure, but I think that we were fighting for the same prize.
There you have it, an otter and something snakelike. Two wild creatures locked in instinct while I stood there watching.
Same lesson. Different scene.
Life does not move according to my plans. Creation does not pause for my expectations. God does not need my permission to run His world.
Sometimes He teaches through gain. Sometimes through loss. Sometimes through laughter that swims away with your fish.
If God holds the breath of every creature, then He also holds my outcomes. My timing. My sense of fairness.
The water taught me what the Word already said. I am not in charge. And I do not need to be.
Lord, steady my hands when I want control. Help me trust Your hand when things do not go my way. Teach me to see You at work, even when I am caught off guard. Amen.