Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.
Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s You,” Peter answered Him, “command me to come to You on the water.”
“Come!” He said.
And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
Matthew 14:22-31 HCSB
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Sometimes I question if I am in God’s will…especially when storms seem to linger. You know, those weeks and months when nothing goes the right way, (or, should I say, the way that is most comfortable!) and it feels like you just might be one of those Israelites stuck in the desert? It is so tempting to say to God, “Please, can’t You just do something to stop all this?!?” Of course, the answer if yes…He can. But what if He doesn’t choose to stop it just yet? Will you still have peace? Or is yours a superficial peace that you only have if your checkbook is positive, or that job you wanted so badly is yours, or your husband is really being his nicest? Hard questions, I know…because He has really been working on me lately with this.
Look at the Scripture passage above. The disciples had just been with Jesus while He fed the 5000. They had been with Him as He spoke and they probably were on a spiritual high. And Jesus had actually made them get into the boat and go ahead of Him so they were exactly where He told them to be…and a storm still came. I’m sure this was no surprise to Jesus. And neither is the one that you’re in right now. Sometimes these ‘waves’ happen just to rock our boat. Not all are a result of sin or disobedience in your life! But know this: If Jesus has appointed us a place in the storm—you can be absolutely sure that it’s for a purpose and He will show up. But we must be looking beyond our own boat to actually see Him.
One of the biggest storms for me happened when Kyle couldn’t find work a few years back. Yet I knew that we were exactly where He wanted us. I heard the words spiritual warfare a few times because that seems to be the easiest answer to understand…but I knew this wasn’t the case. I knew that God had a purpose, and that this was His doing, and we were to learn how to totally depend on Him for our joy and peace. We had a lot of healing to do and this was when God worked the hardest. Looking back on that painful time, I can actually smile because I have never felt so close to God as I did then.
Jesus calls us to walk by faith as we try to make our way through the rough storms. Don’t you think we owe Him that? Especially when He does way more than that…He walks on water during the storms. See, God the Father put all things under Jesus feet, even the waves that seem to wash over us constantly. He is there and He is in control. He doesn’t want you to miss the important lesson of this story, my friend:
Jesus walked on the water before He calmed the storm.
If He had just stopped the storm, the disciples would have missed seeing His majesty…and isn’t that the best part? So don’t hurry Him to stop the waves and calm the storms….look for Him in the midst of it first!
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Let us pray: Dearest Lord, You are the calmer of storms, the Lover of our souls. You are so worthy of praise and honor. We thank You for being so intentional in each one of our lives. And that You have a plan that is so detailed and so full of You! We pray to trust You. Lord, I know that there are many going through different storms right now and I ask that they can see You walking toward them. Comfort Your children today and let them know that You are there and in control. Thank You, again, for loving us and for giving us grace and mercy for each new day. In Jesus name, amen.
