'During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it is you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14: 25-31
Trust. It's a difficult thing. We tell our kids, especially our ten year old, not to lose our trust. Trust is tough to earn back after it is lost. Many of us have heard the story of Jesus walking on water. Even if we wouldn't consider ourselves a Christian, we still have heard this tale. Jesus walks out to the boat floating over the water with ease freaking out the men in the boat. I think I would be a little freaked out myself.
I love when Jesus is in these predicaments he remains so calm. Everyone is losing their mind and Jesus is chill. Crazy.
I like this story for many reasons. It goes beyond Jesus walking on water. I love the normalcy of the disciples behavior. If any of us were on a boat and saw someone walking towards us, we'd all be a little freaked. The disciples were afraid and Jesus does what he is so good at, he calms their fears. This was a trust walk for the men in the boat. Did they trust Jesus? Did they trust who Jesus was and the power he held?
We are the disciples. We place Jesus in a safe little box. We like boundaries and parameters because they are predictable. We feel we have control when they are in place. In doing this, we limit God's power in our lives. We don't allow his power to become reality to us because we don't trust that it's actually there. Jesus walked on water. He turned water into wine. He brought a dead man to life. He died on the cross and rose again. We forget that we have full access to that power. Full access. Jesus' power within us is unlimited. We just have to trust that he can and will walk on water for us.
The other aspect of this story that I adore is Peter. Did you ever jump into the pool telling your friends you were going to walk on water? You'd get your little kid legs moving and try your hardest to get a few steps in before you sank. I remember doing this in my friend's backyard. I always sunk to the bottom but it was fun to try.
Peter wants in on the action. He wants Jesus to prove who he is...and he may have wanted to have a little fun walking on water. It would make for a good story to tell his friends later. Jesus obliged knowing exactly what Peter was thinking and his motives. I imagine Peter stepping out of the boat, adrenaline racing, ready to meet Jesus standing on top of the sea. All was good, until the wind picked up. Peter panicked. He sank.
How often do we panic when the wind picks up in our lives? If I could use emojis in this post, I would have a million of the girl with her hand raised. That wind starts blowing and I falter almost immediately. I forget that I can walk on water.
The thing I love most about this story is that Jesus doesn't let Peter go under. He doesn't leave him there for a few minutes to think about his lesson. He immediately, verse 31 says, reaches out his hand and grabs Peter. Jesus is right there; steady and calm. He pulls Peter from the lake reminding him that he is with him; steadfast.
Sometimes, Jesus lets us sink in order for us to trust. Every so often, we have to go under so we actually reach out to Jesus. If we didn't sink from time-to-time, we would be like a toddler pushing their mama's hand away. We wouldn't reach for him. We wouldn't have a need for him. We wouldn't have to trust him.
Trust is a wonky thing. It's tough but we need it. We fight it because we think that's where the control lies. We do and move and go and push thru thinking we've got this and then, all of a sudden, we find ourselves sinking.
But Jesus is there. Out-stretched hand. Telling us not to fear; not to doubt. He is there.
We can walk on water. You and I are privy to the power of overcoming the storm. He calls us to come. All we need to do is trust.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Trust. It's a difficult thing. We tell our kids, especially our ten year old, not to lose our trust. Trust is tough to earn back after it is lost. Many of us have heard the story of Jesus walking on water. Even if we wouldn't consider ourselves a Christian, we still have heard this tale. Jesus walks out to the boat floating over the water with ease freaking out the men in the boat. I think I would be a little freaked out myself.
I love when Jesus is in these predicaments he remains so calm. Everyone is losing their mind and Jesus is chill. Crazy.
I like this story for many reasons. It goes beyond Jesus walking on water. I love the normalcy of the disciples behavior. If any of us were on a boat and saw someone walking towards us, we'd all be a little freaked. The disciples were afraid and Jesus does what he is so good at, he calms their fears. This was a trust walk for the men in the boat. Did they trust Jesus? Did they trust who Jesus was and the power he held?
We are the disciples. We place Jesus in a safe little box. We like boundaries and parameters because they are predictable. We feel we have control when they are in place. In doing this, we limit God's power in our lives. We don't allow his power to become reality to us because we don't trust that it's actually there. Jesus walked on water. He turned water into wine. He brought a dead man to life. He died on the cross and rose again. We forget that we have full access to that power. Full access. Jesus' power within us is unlimited. We just have to trust that he can and will walk on water for us.
The other aspect of this story that I adore is Peter. Did you ever jump into the pool telling your friends you were going to walk on water? You'd get your little kid legs moving and try your hardest to get a few steps in before you sank. I remember doing this in my friend's backyard. I always sunk to the bottom but it was fun to try.
Peter wants in on the action. He wants Jesus to prove who he is...and he may have wanted to have a little fun walking on water. It would make for a good story to tell his friends later. Jesus obliged knowing exactly what Peter was thinking and his motives. I imagine Peter stepping out of the boat, adrenaline racing, ready to meet Jesus standing on top of the sea. All was good, until the wind picked up. Peter panicked. He sank.
How often do we panic when the wind picks up in our lives? If I could use emojis in this post, I would have a million of the girl with her hand raised. That wind starts blowing and I falter almost immediately. I forget that I can walk on water.
The thing I love most about this story is that Jesus doesn't let Peter go under. He doesn't leave him there for a few minutes to think about his lesson. He immediately, verse 31 says, reaches out his hand and grabs Peter. Jesus is right there; steady and calm. He pulls Peter from the lake reminding him that he is with him; steadfast.
Sometimes, Jesus lets us sink in order for us to trust. Every so often, we have to go under so we actually reach out to Jesus. If we didn't sink from time-to-time, we would be like a toddler pushing their mama's hand away. We wouldn't reach for him. We wouldn't have a need for him. We wouldn't have to trust him.
Trust is a wonky thing. It's tough but we need it. We fight it because we think that's where the control lies. We do and move and go and push thru thinking we've got this and then, all of a sudden, we find ourselves sinking.
But Jesus is there. Out-stretched hand. Telling us not to fear; not to doubt. He is there.
We can walk on water. You and I are privy to the power of overcoming the storm. He calls us to come. All we need to do is trust.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Comments