Reflections on Jesus: Joining Him on the water

Jesus and Peter on the Water

It's all there, right in Matthew 14:22-33.  Oh, impetuous Peter. He sees Jesus walking on water and asks to join Him.  Jesus invites him out, and he begins to walk...on water!  The commonness of the story begins to steal away from the miraculous. But if you've ever been in water, it is anything but solid, and I don't know about you, but I have yet to walk on it.

Jesus could have swam to meet the disciples in the boat.  This would have been a feat of strength, but not a miracle.  Instead, he chose to walk.  I like to imagine Him taking an easy stroll to the boat where the disciples were.  Peter's steps on the other hand became less confident when wind threatened to pull him under.  From an outsider's perspective, the question arises -what does the wind have to do with it?  Jesus invited Him and He has full control, surely the wind was no surprise to Jesus.  Surely, Peter didn't think it was his own power that was allowing him to walk on water!  

Photo Credit: godbricks.blogspot.com/2012/08/more-water-walking.html

But even after Peter began doubting and sinking, he knew who to cry out to.  He called to Jesus, who pulled him back up and together the two men walked back to the boat.  Jesus did not grab Peter and throw him in the boat as if there was any danger, no, he grabbed onto Peter, strengthening Him and the two walked back to the boat together.  I'm not sure of the distance, but certainly they had to take a step or two to get back into the boat.  Peter's faltering and fear of the storm did not change Jesus' willingness for Peter to walk.  While Peter's fear may have hampered his enjoyment of the miracle in process, it served to only magnify the One who Peter had but to utter a word to for help.  

We share a similar Journey

On my current journey, I feel an awful like Peter.  I see the miraculous that God has invited me to.  I have even stepped out of the boat.  The first steps have been exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I have an overwhelming sense that I'm walking into situations that if I start doubting, I could easily sink!  Not a happy thought.  Until I consider this altogether important detail - I have not left the boat alone.  I am walking by the grace and strength of my God and King.  Why should the storms of life or questions cause me to stumble?  It is by His grace that I am here in this moment, and tomorrow's moment will also be in His grace.  Come what may, I follow He who has gone before me, is always with me, and has promised to be there tomorrow.  His will shall be done and His love is a secured promise, but it is the intimacy of trust and deepening of relationship that comes from this walk which is the prize I seek.  

So, where are you on your journey in this season?  Are you enjoying the adventurous water walk with Jesus?  Are you walking on the water but slowly sinking because situations arise that tell you Jesus is untrustworthy or that you can't do what He's asked?  Are you sinking and afraid to cry out for help?  Have you gotten out of the boat?  

He asks different things from each of us, but the invitation is always the same - an invitation to the great adventure of following Him out where are feet can no longer touch solid ground.  Is there risk?  Always.  Will storms arise?  Most likely.  Whether we are sinking or standing secure on water - will He be with us?  Without a doubt.  Is there anything more exciting than following Him out of the boat?  Not a chance.  

I don't know about you, but now that I've left the boat - I couldn't imagine turning back.

Grace to you on your journey.  

Mixing in the Fruit

I love fruit on the bottom yogurt.  It’s tasty and delicious.  It is particularly enjoyable when some of the fruit foundation mixes in with the plain yogurt on top.  That does not happen without my spoon mixing it up, so there’s some movement involved but very little.  When I was younger, I enjoyed eating the yogurt independently, and then moving onto the fruit.  The yogurt tended to be bitter, but the fruit payoff was satisfying to me. 

Sometimes believers tend to treat God the same way I treated yogurt.  They live out their daily activities fairly independently from God, but always return to their foundation and seek Him.  It is a way of separating the secular from the sacred, or the holy from the day to day living. 

It is one way to choose to live.  But the far better way is when the fruit mixes in with the yogurt.  At that point, the fruit  alters the taste of the bitter yogurt making the whole cup of yogurt an enjoyable and tasty experience.  When we allow the Spirit of God to walk with us throughout the day – speaking love to our hearts and helping us navigate our day to day, even minute to minute interactions – the whole of our lives changes into life that is completely saturated with the Goodness of the Lord.  He does the beautiful work, but we do have to choose to allow Him to do it.  

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. - Psalm 34:8