FATC Days of Christmas (Day 4)…When the River Rises

FATC Days of Christmas (Day 4)… When the River Rises

Remember…Our FATC motto —It’s not just about the fly fishing. Well, Christmas is approaching and I have a gift for my FATC brothers. Who knows…for some it may be just the gift they need, but didn’t realize it.

I’ve recently enjoyed reading Daniel Bryant’s book, GOD MUST BE A FLY FISHER, and I think many of you will enjoy it also. I’m reprinting a short chapter each day from now through New Year’s Day. This is not just a book about fly fishing. It’s a book about slowing down. It’s a book about seeing that every moment outdoors might be an invitation to come closer to the One who created it all.

(From God Must Be A Fly Fisher by author Daniel Bryant)

When the River Rises

Before drift boats, before rafts with YETI coolers and anchor systems, there was Noah —and he built the biggest boat the world had ever seen… on dry land.

Imagine the scene.

Blue skies. Birds singing. No lake, no river, not even a puddle in sight. And there’s Noah —out back, hammering gopher wood together, mumbling about animals and rain. His neighbors must’ve thought he’d lost it. The HOA probably filed a complaint.

But Noah kept building.

Why? Because God said so.

“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)

Now that right there is the heart of faith. Not flashy. Not loud. Just quiet, persistent obedience —even when it looks ridiculous.

He didn’t wait for the clouds to roll in. He didn’t say, “Let me see a few raindrops first.” He just listened… and worked.

We fly fishers get this. We prepare long before the first rise appears. We tie flies in the off-season. We practice our casts before the hatch. Sometimes we’re out there on a stretch of water with no signs of life at all, and yet…we fish. Not because of what we see, but because of what we believe.

Noah’s faith wasn’t built in a moment. It was hammered together, day by day, board by board, over decades. He built for a future no one else could see.

That’s the essence of walking by faith.

But let’s not romanticize it too much. Noah’s obedience wasn’t met with applause. It was met with isolation. Loneliness. Laughter. People mocked him. Ignored him. Labeled him a fool. That’s often what it looks like when you obey God in a world that doesn’t.

Still, Noah kept building.

And then one day… the skies changed.

“All the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)

What seemed impossible was now unstoppable. The flood came, and Noah and his family were ready not because they predicted the storm, but because they obeyed the voice.

Fly fishing has storms too. Sudden floods, dangerous runoff, swollen creeks. If you’re not prepared, the river can turn from peaceful to perilous in an instant. But if you’ve done the work —if you’ve built the boat, packed the vest, respected the water —you ride it out. And you grow through it.

God didn’t leave Noah in the storm forever. The rain stopped.

The waters receded. The ark came to rest. And Noah stepped out into a world washed clean.

And that’s when the most beautiful thing happened.

God made a promise.

“I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13)

The same skies that once brought fear now held color. Hope. A promise of mercy that endures through every flood since.

You may not build an ark. But if you’ve ever trusted God when it made no sense, stood alone in your faith, or prepared your heart when the world said you were wasting your time —you’ve walked in Noah’s boots.

And here’s what Noah knew:

God sees the storm before it forms.

God provides a plan before the first drop falls.

And God brings beauty after the rain.

So, if the river’s rising in your life —if you feel like the world is mocking your obedience or you’re alone in your faith —keep building.

Keep trusting.

Because when you walk by faith, the rain may fall… but the promise will rise.

And somewhere, above the mist and mud and mess, a rainbow will remind you:

God always keeps His word.