Ring in Fish’s Mouth
“Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” [Ecclesiastes 11:1]
Joe Richardson of Buna, Texas, has a fish story that may be hard to swallow, but it’s true. More than 20 years after losing his graduation ring from Universal Technical Institute while fishing in Lake Sam Rayburn, Richardson received a phone call to inform him that his ring had been found. It was not discovered on the lakeshore or an area pawnshop, but in the mouth of an 8.4-pound bass! The 41-year-old mechanic says he received a call the day after Thanksgiving 2008 from a fisherman who claimed he found the long-lost ring in the mouth of a large bass he had caught. At first Richardson thought the call was an old friend pulling a prank, but soon realized that it was real. His wife, Lisa, said, “He was in shock and couldn’t believe it until he held the ring in his hand.”
Three soldiers fishing during the holiday reeled in an 8-pound bass on the lake. When the fish started flopping around in the bed of the boat, the fishermen noticed a ring pop out of its mouth. Using mosquito spray and WD-40, the soldiers cleaned the grime off the ring. Eventually they were able to barely make out the name “Joe Richardson” etched on the inside of the band. Then, right there on the lake, one of the fishermen pulled out his iPhone and started searching the Internet for Joe Richardsons in the area. He made three other calls before reaching the right person. They later met Joe and Lisa at a Dairy Queen and presented the ring to its original owner. Lisa said, “This was like a miracle, and we wondered why God chose to perform a miracle in our lives.” Joe, on the other hand, could not help but wonder how many fish the ring had been through in two decades.
Did you know the Bible talks about finding money in a fish’s mouth? Jesus told Peter, “…go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you” (Matthew 17:27). Joe received back his lost ring. God wants to give you back the life you lost to sin.
