As famous lakes go, Galilee — only thirteen miles at its longest, seven and a half at its widest — is a small, moody one. The diminutive size makes it more vulnerable to the winds that howl out of the Golan Heights. They turn the lake into a blender, shifting suddenly, blowing first from one direction, then another. Winter months bring such storms every two weeks or so, churning the waters for two to three days at a time.1
When Peter and a few other disciples found themselves in the middle of Galilee one stormy night, they knew they were in trouble:
But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. — Matthew 14:24
What should have been a sixty-minute cruise became a nightlong battle. The boat lurched and lunged like a kite in a March wind. Sunlight was a distant memory. Rain fell from the night sky in buckets. Lightning sliced the blackness with a silver sword. Winds whipped the sails, leaving the disciples "in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves." Apt description, perhaps, for your stage in life? Perhaps all we need to do is substitute a couple of nouns…
In the middle of a divorce, tossed about by guilt.
In the middle of debt, tossed about by creditors.
In the middle of a recession, tossed about by stimulus packages and bailouts.
The disciples fought the storm for nine cold, skin-drenching hours. And about 4:00 a.m. the unspeakable happened. They spotted someone coming on the water.
'A ghost!' they said, crying out in terror. — Matthew 14:26 MSG
They didn't expect Jesus to come to them this way.
Neither do we. We expect Him to come in the form of peaceful hymns or Easter Sundays or quiet retreats. We expect to find Jesus in morning devotionals, church suppers, and meditation. We never expect to see Him in a bear market, pink slip, lawsuit, foreclosure, or war.
We never expect to see Him in a storm.
But it is in storms that He does His finest work, for it is in storms that He has our keenest attention. Jesus replied to the disciples' fear with an invitation worthy of inscription on every church cornerstone and residential archway.
'Don't be afraid,' He said. 'Take courage. I am here!' — Matthew 14:7 NLT
Power inhabits those words. To awaken in an ICU and hear your husband say, "I am here." To lose your retirement yet feel the support of your family in the words "We are here." When a Little Leaguer spots Mom and Dad in the bleachers watching the game, "I am here" changes everything. Perhaps that's why God repeats the "I am here" pledge so often.
The Lord is near (Philippians 4:5 NIV).
You are in Me, and I am in you (John 14:20 NIV).
I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20 NIV).
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:28 NIV).
Nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38 NLT).
We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that's God following you. Look into the storm; that's Christ coming toward you.
Much to Peter's credit, he took Jesus at His word.
'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus". — Matthew 14:28–29
Peter never would have made this request on a calm sea. Had Christ strolled across a lake that was as smooth as mica, Peter would have applauded, but I doubt he would have stepped out of the boat.
- Storms prompt us to take unprecedented journeys.
For a few historic steps and heart-stilling moments, Peter did the impossible. He defied every law of gravity and nature; "he walked on the water to go to Jesus."
My editors wouldn't have tolerated such brevity. They would have flooded the margin with red ink: "Elaborate! How quickly did Peter exit the boat?
What were the other disciples doing?
What was the expression on his face?
Did he step on any fish?"
Matthew had no time for such questions. He moves us quickly to the major message of the event: where to stare in a storm.
But when [Peter] saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' — Matthew 14:30
A wall of water eclipsed his view. A wind gust snapped the mast with a crack and a slap. A flash of lightning illuminated the lake and the watery Appalachians it had become. Peter shifted his attention away from Jesus and toward the squall, and when he did, he sank like a brick in a pond. Give the storm waters more attention than the Storm Walker and get ready to do the same.
Whether or not storms come, we cannot choose. But where we stare during a storm, that we can.
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