Fish out of water experience!
Life truly has a way of showing us who is in control. For Week 22, I shared about pain, not knowing the pain that was yet to come—the heartbreaking loss of a young life, taken far too soon and so tragically 💔😭. Only God knows how and why it happened 🙏 Blessed be the name of the Lord ❤️
The trials of the past week took me back to our family devotion in 2025, when we journeyed through Psalm 119 over the course of the year. The passage that came to mind was the section on 13th and 14th letters of the Hebrew alphabet: Mem and Nun.
Bible reading 📖
Psalms 119:104-105 NIV
[104] I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. [105] Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Verse 104 concludes the Mem section. Mem is associated with water, symbolising God’s decrees, laws, and wisdom as the very water of life. Verse 105 then begins the Nun section, represented by a fish. And where do we usually find fish? In water, of course. 🤔
What a beautiful transition—God’s life-giving Word, symbolised by water, naturally leads into Nun, the fish that thrives and flourishes in it.
The picture that these verses paint is simple yet profound: just as fish are sustained by water, we are sustained by God’s Word. Apart from Him, we are like fish out of water—struggling to survive. But when we remain immersed in His presence, wisdom, and truth, we find life, strength, and purpose. 🙏
A fish out of water is exposed to an environment it was never designed to live in. It becomes vulnerable, weakened, disoriented, and unable to breathe properly. The longer it remains outside the water, the more its life begins to drain away.
Spiritually, when we drift away from God’s Word, wisdom, and presence—the water of life—we too become exposed to dangers we were never meant to face alone. Temptation becomes harder to resist. Discouragement weighs heavier. Confusion clouds our judgment. Even though there are dangers within the water, fish were created to live there; outside of it, survival becomes increasingly difficult.
The past week and a half have been a bittersweet reminder of how quickly life can move between joy and sorrow. We celebrated a niece’s wedding, rejoicing in the beginning of a new chapter filled with hope and promise. Six days before the wedding, our family was confronted with the devastating loss of a beloved nephew. He was laid to rest four days after the wedding.
Joy and grief have walked side by side this past two weeks, reminding us both of life’s preciousness and its fragility.
This leads to an important question: Can the fish get back into the water on its own?
Sometimes it can. A fish may thrash and struggle until it finds its way back. Likewise, a believer may recognise their condition, repent, and return to God.
But often, the fish needs help. A stranded fish may require someone to pick it up and place it back into the water. In the same way, God often uses others to restore us—through a timely word, a prayer, a Scripture, a friend, a pastor, a family member, or even a difficult circumstance that awakens us to our need for Him. This echoes the heart of Galatians 6:1, where believers are called to gently restore one another.
So we grieve, and we mourn. We acknowledge the pain of loss and the reality of our sorrow. Yet in our darkest moments, we must remain watchful for the help that God sends our way. During seasons like these, when our hearts feel weary, vulnerable, and overwhelmed, God does not leave us stranded. He reaches out through His Word, His Spirit, and His people, helping us return to the place where life, hope, and strength are found.
Perhaps the deeper lesson is this: the fish’s goal is not merely to escape danger; it is to remain where life is found. Mem reminds us that God’s Word is the water of life. Nun reminds us that God’s people are like fish who flourish in that water. The longer we remain immersed in His truth, the more we are sustained, strengthened, and able to live as He intended.
While we may not always understand the reasons behind our trials, we can trust that nothing escapes God’s knowledge and nothing is beyond His control. We live in a fallen world where suffering, loss, and death are painful realities, yet God is able to work through all things for His glory and our good.
Romans 8:28 NIV
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
So! We mourn with hope. We grieve with faith. And as we walk through life’s valleys, we remain attentive to the grace, comfort, and help that God faithfully sends our way. Even in seasons of sorrow, His hand is at work, accomplishing purposes greater than we can see and drawing us ever closer to Him.
And when we find ourselves stranded on the shore, struggling for breath, God’s grace is often already moving—calling us back to the water and sometimes sending someone to help carry us there.
Zechariah 4:7 NIV
"Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!... Grace, grace to it!"
Grace in our rejoicing. Grace in our mourning. Grace for yesterday, grace for today, and grace for whatever lies ahead. 🙌
To God be the glory always 🙏
Idau Hahine 