Taking A Step Towards Jesus: Pt. 2

Part 2 of 4

Today, I’m continuing to share some truths found in Matthew 14:22-33. This is a familiar passage to folks who grew up in a church setting. Jesus comes to his disciples in the middle of a storm and walks on water. Now, I grant you, walking on water sounds silly, right? I mean, no one can do that.

So if you’re not a person of faith, let me clue you in on something. By and large, Christians don’t subscribe to silly stories. Most of us don’t believe in fairy tales. But we do believe in supernatural occurrences. All that means is that there are things that cannot be explained naturally. We believe that miracles can and do happen. No, we don’t believe in the tooth fairy, but we believe in Jesus. And as illogical as it sounds, Occam’s Razor leads us to believe that sometimes a supernatural occurrence, like Jesus walking on water, is the most logical conclusion. Don’t worry, we’re not talking about miracles today; that tidbit is free.

So where were we? Ah Yes, Jesus is walking on the water.

The disciples were scared. Honestly, I don’t know what would be scarier: being in the middle of a giant lake in a bad storm or seeing someone walking on the waves. But scared they were.

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Now, last time I shared that a nugget of truth is that God Will Allow Us to Encounter Storms. I mean, Jesus knew what was going to happen, and he allowed those disciples to sail right into what seemed like a danger zone. But as I said, many times what seems like a setup for failure is a setup for God to show up. And that’s something we need to know: Jesus Always Shows Up at the Right Time.

I know, for those of us with some miles on us, and some life experiences, we would think that might sound cute but life would have us believe something else entirely. “That’s a nice greeting card sentiment, but in real life…” Hey, I get it. Where is Jesus when the doctor gives you the diagnosis that the cancer is back? Where is Jesus when the bills come in with a FINAL NOTICE stamped on them? Where is Jesus when you feel like you’re all alone, the only one still trying?

I’ll tell you where. Right there beside you. Do we question the promise of Jesus when he said “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b)? Or do we take him at his word?

There are a lot of times that I don’t feel God with me. But ours is a belief system of faith, not of emotions. When the God who set the stars in their places says that He is with me, who am I to doubt that? It is just possible that I’m not trusting him at that moment? Overcome by worry or emotion, have we allowed the situation to cloud our confidence in our Creator?

Jesus showing up doesn’t mean the storm is always over. It doesn’t mean the journey through turbulent seas is over. But it does mean that the Master of the seas is riding along with us. And we can trust his timing and his guidance to get to the other side of the storm we find ourselves in.

Jesus always shows up at the right time.

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Taking A Step Toward Jesus: Storms

Part 1 of 4

As we head into Fall, and a new season, it’s the perfect time to evaluate our lives, habits, and goals. As I ponder what I can share to encourage and exhort others, I keep returning to a message I shared a few years ago called Taking A Step Toward Jesus. So over the next few posts, I will be going through a familiar passage to many of us, Matthew 14:22-33 ESV:

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Quick thought here: This is a little different. Seeing Jesus walking on the water is not a normal occurrence. The disciples are scared, ad frankly I would be too. Let’s pick back up in verse 28:

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

I want to unpack this passage a little bit before I get to today’s application. Jesus had just done an incredible miracle. He fed 5,000 men plus women and children. He fed this huge crowd on with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish. With a family meal, Jesus fed a city.

Everyone was so excited (you and I would be too)! They wanted to make Jesus a king. But since that wasn’t his purpose, he sent the crowd away and his disciples as well. So while the disciples sail to the other side of a huge lake, Jesus goes up on a mountain for some quiet time and to pray. But the disciples were about to encounter some major issues.

And that brings me to today’s point: God Will Allow Us to Encounter Storms.

Look at verse 24: But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. I’m not much for boating, but this doesn’t sound good. But doesn’t life just feel that way sometimes? The wind blows against you. You try to do something, even the right thing, but it seems like you meet opposition all the time.

Remember, the disciples were doing what Jesus told them to do. Even though they followed the direction of Jesus they went straight into a storm, and now they didn’t see him with them. This wasn’t the first time they experienced the storm, but the last time they were in a storm, Jesus was physically there with them. Now? They are seemingly all alone.

God Will Allow Us to Encounter Storms. That’s not a pleasant thought. But we can always count on God to be honest with us. Life brings storms. And it can be really difficult for us to understand God’s promises of peace and provision when we have this account of Jesus sending his followers into a storm without him.

But what seems like a setup for failure is oftentimes a setup for God to SHOW UP in an unexpected way. We’ll see more about that in the next post.

For now? Remember that just because you may be in a storm doesn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t know or care. Even his disciples encountered rough seas. And perhaps for you, life is smooth sailing right now. Don’t take the calm for granted. Sometime soon Jesus may call you to take a step towards him, a step into the storm.

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Don’t Give Up on Prodigals

In 1949, a spontaneous revival broke out on the island of Lewis, a remote part of Scotland. Hundreds of lives were changed over the next three years. One story sticks out to me and that is the story of Willie.

Willie was what we would call a prodigal, meaning that he had known the “straight and narrow” but lived a life that was far from God. His mother prayed for Willie his whole life. As he would spend his youth in trouble with his friends and his early adulthood in a continual drunken stupor, many gave up on Willie. Not his mother.

When revival broke out, Rev. Duncan Campbell was summoned to go preach at a spontaneous gathering at the church. On his way he found Willie laying in a ditch with his mother at his side. But Willie wasn’t overcome with alcohol as Campbell supposed. No, he was under conviction of the Holy Spirit to the point of weeping over his lost soul. His mother stayed beside of him, half praying and half begging “Oh Willie, Willie, are ya comin (to Jesus) at last?”

Willie changed that night. Rather, Jesus changed Willie. He later became a parish minister and led a life devoted to Jesus and seeing others coming to faith in Jesus.

Friends, don’t give up on “prodigals”. You may have been one once yourself. Keep praying for Jesus to get ahold of them.