Read Matthew 14:22-33

I am going to try to post more regularly. I don't have any idea, at this point, the format changes that will take place here for me to be able to do it, but I am pretty sure there will be some.

So - - I was reading in Matthew today, and was struck by something in a story that is familiar to many, many people. It is the story of Jesus walking on the water, calling Peter out to do the same, Peter walking on water at first, then sinking, then crying out to be saved, then being pulled up out of the water by Jesus, then the two of them getting into the boat together. OK? Everyone remember that story?

Good.

I entitled this thing "Read ..." though - with the verses which are the beginning of the story for a reason. So if you already know the story, but haven't read it in a while; or if you don't remember what happens in verses 22-33 specifically, then please read it first.


See, the story starts out with the disciples getting in a boat and leaving Jesus alone. The boat makes it farther into the water than they were planning on, apparently, because of a storm. That's an important part of the setting. It says the boat was beaten by the waves. Not just that it was windy and the waves were a littler bigger than normal, but that it was a pretty good storm. Have you ever seen a pretty good storm on the open water? It's intense. Then, they see what the think must be a ghost coming to them - walking on waves. Not just walking on the surface of the water, but for all we know - he was walking on very wavy water. That's the other part of the setting which is important.

So when Peter gets out on the water and starts WALKING! he is no doubt amazed at what his feet are doing. Who wouldn't be. Peter is living through a very real, very amazing miracle. And he is walking towards his best friend Jesus. But the story changes when Peter (I'm imagining here - this is what would have happened if it were Josh Cranston, instead of Peter) takes stock of - not the fact that he is experiencing a miracle, not the fact that he's joining Jesus in said miracle, but the fact that the storm is still going on ALL AROUND HIM.

Scary as being on a boat in the middle of a storm must be - being on the water without a boat might be a little scarier.

So the situation - - - this is the part that sort of caught my attention here - - which must have been extremely intense and frightening got the best of Peter. But it did not do so until Peter was already in the midst of being delivered from it (ie walking on water in the middle of a storm!).

THAT is what got me. I have many times thought about "stepping out of the boat" or whatever other metaphor you want to use - and not done so because the conditions scared me too much. But that's not this story. Peter got out of the boat - he even asked Jesus to allow him - in the middle of a scary situation.

See, I am in a pretty weird (scary) time in my life right now - my family is - and we have been for what feels like forever now (a few months [[the waves have started to die down a lot, but there are still some waves and wind]]). But I KNOW that God's hand has been directing every single miraculous step all along the way. The conditions haven't 100% improved - I'm still walking on STORMY water - but I'm walking on water. See? So every single step I take MUST include a conscious awareness of the miracle that taking that step is. Jesus is with me. Jesus is with my wife and children. Jesus is ON the water - & he was walking on it first.

And what I want to do is continue to focus on the miracles that Jesus is working every single day and NOT on the crazy stormy weather which I am walking through. I can just hear Jesus asking me, after he's pulled me up, "Why did you doubt?" Like - "dude! you were walking on water! Did you not get that??!!"

Anyhow. That's it. Probably nothing new for anyone - but really special to me right now.

God's Word is so great!