This morning in church we went over Matthew 14:22-33
“Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 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. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, Save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.””
when Jesus says Take heart, He means have peace, trust in me. Because it is me, I am here. He will always take care of us. Jesus knows that storm is coming before he sends the disciples out. We face winds of false gospel, waves of temptation and storms of mistreatment. We need to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.
When Peter starts to sink, he lost his focus on Jesus. Just like when at a baseball game the the batter keeps his eye on the ball, he has to or he’ll strike out. We need to keep our eye and our focus on Jesus and everything will be taken care of. I realised going on the world race, if I keep my focus on God. If I don’t doubt and put my total faith and trust in Him, I won’t sink. He’s got my back.
Jesus also shows that he is the Lord of water, wind, waves, and the sea. He is the center of creation. He calms the sea right after getting in the boat with the disciples and they see and say that He is the Son of God. Jesus calms the storm. Not just literally, but even the storms in our lives. When somethings not right and we are struggling – we seek to God, “save me”. And He will calm the storm. We need not to be afraid to invite God in our situations.
The ship kind of represents the church. This is where we want to be, they are traveling to other side to minister there. It can provide a way for us to get to other places. It’s important to realised who the Son of GOD is and to be a part of a church.
It seemed to be a good lesson before I attend training camp in a week and getting ready for launch on the World Race. Have no doubt, he has you right where I need to be, and he is right by my side.
