God Still Calls Fishermen

As a young boy on an Indian reservation, God had spared his life. What would he do about the promise he made to God that day?

By Wayne Butler

When I was twelve years old, my family moved to Neah Bay, Washington, where we had family ties to the Makah Indians. My parents were Christians, and since there was a small Apostolic Faith branch church there, we felt right at home.

I had been taken to church and Sunday school ever since I was a small child in Portland, Oregon. My sister and I used to sing Sunday school specials in the campground church, and while I was still very young, I could sing most of the songs from memory. After every church service, I would go to the altar and pray until the last song was over. I always had the desire to do what was right,…but I didn’t have Jesus in my heart.

In Neah Bay, I got a part-time job, and by the time I was fourteen, I had saved enough money to buy a little fishing boat of my own. Without any thought to my safety, I would sometimes take my boat out into the ocean, in the fog, without a compass. I would troll back and forth and listen for the horn on the buoys to guide me.

One time, I was heading out to sea, and there was a big tide rip where the straits meet the ocean. The waves were combing on top and close together. I came off the top of one wave, and another one came over the top of the bow, filling my boat with water. The boat started to roll over, so I jumped to the other side. It then rolled violently in the other direction. I kept jumping from side to side trying to balance it against the waves. There were no other boats in sight, so I began bailing the water out of the boat with the only thing I had—a small plastic container. While all of this was happening, I was praying for God to get me out of the situation. I told Him that I would serve Him if He would just save my life. After bailing water for about ten minutes, I was able to get the boat to float straight enough so that I could pull the plug to drain the rest of the water. When I finally got back to shore I quickly forgot all about the promise I had made to God.

In several other situations like that, God rescued me from certain disaster. Each time, I would promise to serve God if He would rescue me from the danger. Then I would just as quickly brush aside my promise. During each of these times I was honestly scared, because I knew that if I died, I was not ready for Heaven.

I can remember going into my parents’ room in the middle of the night to see if they were still there. I was afraid that the Lord might have come and taken them away while I was sleeping. On the other hand, I remember being in no hurry to bring my school friends to our house, because I knew my mom would talk to them about the Lord. What a terrible thing it was to be ashamed of God.

My Christian teaching saved me from going deep into sin. One time, when I was netting on the river at night, I saw a fish in the man’s net above me. I thought that he had taken fish from me in the past, and I was tempted to take one back from him, but God told me, “If you take that fish, someday you will have to make it right.” I left that fish right where it was.

I am thankful that God still calls fishermen today. In 1984, I went to the camp meeting in Portland. It was there that God reminded me of all the times I had said I would serve Him, I told God that I wanted to get saved, but I didn’t want to be just a “Camp Meeting Christian.” I wanted something that would last, and when I gave my heart to God, He didn’t disappoint me. He cleaned me up on the inside, and put a deep peace in my heart.

God is my healer. He has provided for me financially. When problems come my way, I can pray and leave them at Jesus’ feet and he gives me peace. He is so good to me.

Wayne Butler is the pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church in Woodlake, California.