A fly-fishing enthusiast can tell you about all the excitement that can unfold when you hook a fish much bigger than one you planned for. An angler—that is, a person who fishes with a rod and line—typically uses the equipment they need for catching a particular kind of fish. To catch a medium-size fish (like a trout), for example, you need tackle for that size of fish. But sometimes with that gear you can hook a much larger fish (like a salmon). And when that happens, chaos can break loose.

The reel will spin furiously, unloading the line as the large fish swims powerfully away. Then panic can set in because you don’t want to lose your expensive tackle, let alone the fish. Usually then you’ll have just two options: to let the fish run, and hopefully tire it out so that you can catch it; or simply to cut the line and let the fish go. A determined angler may decide to hold on, skillfully using the rod and line through a long tug of war and gradually reeling the fish in.

In some ways our relationship with God can be like that. We might be thinking we are free to do as we please, but God can hook us, and even though we might try to outrun and overpower him, he will never cut the grace-line or count us as a lost cause. He’ll fight for us and battle with us—and when all is said and done, he gives us the freedom to live a new and full life that is far beyond our imagining!