Matthew 14:22-34. Jesus walks on water.
I’ve heard this story about a gazillion times, but I’ve learned a fascinating new way to look at it.
Jesus walks on water right after he fed 5,000 people. like immediately after. everyone is in awe of how Jesus performed this huge miracle, and then he just leaves. he dips. he dismisses the crowd and tells his disciples to go ahead of him on a boat while he goes to the mountainside by himself to pray.
after a while, the disciples were a ways away from the land and the winds & waves begin to pick up. then the disciples see Jesus walking on the lake, and they literally thought it was a ghost. they didn’t believe it was actually Jesus. even after Jesus had just fed FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, they still doubted what he could do!
when Jesus saw that they were terrified, he told them, “don’t be afraid” (this is obviously an important lesson God wants us to know especially since this phrase is written 365 times in the Bible).
Jesus SPOKE to his disciples, and they STILL weren’t sure if it was actually him. Peter said “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”
wow.
talk about a bold prayer.
then Jesus replies with one word — “come.”
Peter cautiously steps out of the boat and starts walking on the water to Jesus. he’s doing it. he’s doing the impossible because he’s with Jesus. then Peter gets distracted by the powerful winds and the big waves.
all of a sudden, Peter is afraid.
he is doubting Jesus. he starts to sink. as soon as Peter cried to God for help, “IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” (v 31).
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Taylor, one of our squad coaches, got a word during one of our times of worship. He said that God was telling us to get out of the boat.
he explained how staying in the boat represents staying where you are in your comfort zone, where it’s safe and cozy, but God is encouraging us to step out of that and trust him. just like Peter!
I was blown away by what he had said — I had never thought of the story like that before in my own life!
for example, a step out of my comfort zone is evangelism! when our mini squad was in Stoenesti (pronounced “stow-en-esht”), I was in a group handing out pamphlets to local people around the town. it’s typically a lil uncomfy for me to hand out pieces of paper to strangers and have conversations with them, especially when I have to use a translator or try to communicate with the little bit of Romanian I know. the evangelism group I was in was led by Anna, Raul’s wife, and she is a natural at evangelism. she’s so personable and is able to talk to people about their faith. to be able to learn and get feedback from her was super duper helpful for me! I was able to talk to some local people in Stoenesti and have Anna help teach and guide me through it. even though I’ve done evangelism before, I still had doubts. but God wanted me to be a part of evangelism and gave me the tools I needed so I wouldn’t just sink.
another example is praying for healing over other people. I LOVE declaring healing over people, it’s so cool to see God’s power! sometimes doubt slips in my mind and I wonder if God will actually heal this person. I wonder if he’s capable. when I actually think about it, it’s so ridiculous that I would doubt that God isn’t bigger than a headache when he literally created the heavens and the earth. having faith in prayer is a way I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone 🙂
so now, whenever I’m challenged to do something new, different, and a little scary- I’m reminded of how God WANTS me to get out of the boat and completely rely on Him! whenever I doubt and fall away from him, all I have to do is ask he will IMMEDIATELY help me. how cool is that?
also, in the movie The Shack (which is so gosh darn good and i would totally recommend it for all of y’all to watch), Mack is in heaven and walks on water with Jesus. it was amazing. then he tries to do it again while Jesus is standing on the shore, and Jesus simply says, “it’s a lot easier when we do it together, huh?” then the two of them are RACING across the water, running as fast as they can, both of them together as friends.
that small seen had a HUGE POWERFUL impact on me — Jesus is a friend and I cannot do anything without him. it’s better when we work together 🙂
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prayer requests of the week:
wisdom
James 1:5 says “if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
patience
this has been a TOUGH prayer lately, but I know God is growing me so much through it!
squad homesickness
the squad split up and it’s been super fun! our lil mini squad has grown a lot closer since we’ve spent more time together, but there’s also moments when we miss the other 2 teams back in craiova.
song of the week:
blessings by chance the rapper. it’s been stuck in my head for a minute but i mean it’s a great song and i love it 🙂
food of the week:
bruschetta. a lil fancy meal we’ve been eating some this week.
lol of the week:
we’ve been in this apartment for 3 days and have clogged the toilet 5 times. half.
praise of the week:
team testimonies! God is so good!
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so with all that being said, I made t shirts! and sweatshirts! hooray! I’m selling these to help continue fundraising for my world race trip. I’m still about $6,000 away from being fully funded — every shirt counts! and it’s only on sale for 20 days (ending on November 10)
here’s the link to where you can order them and bonfire will ship them right to your house!
https://www.bonfire.com/get-out-of-the-boat-design/
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thank you all so so much for your support, it means the world to me!
and if you have any questions about anything,
my email is [email protected]
ok that’s all for now. i love you guys! <3
love, Maddie
