Walking on water
Jesus went to them, walking on the sea (read Matthew 14:22-33).
One of my abiding memories of Israel was a trip on the Sea of Galilee in a fishing boat. It was a glorious day, and the water was like glass. I don’t think I have been on open water when it was so still and peaceful. It was an impression of what it must have been like when the Lord stilled the sea. There are times in our lives when the Lord stills our fears and calms our souls by His presence.
The Lord Jesus had sent the disciples into the boat while He dismissed the crowd. How does one person send home five thousand men, besides women and children? Our government has trouble in the present circumstances controlling crowds on beaches and small groups on our streets. But the Saviour quietly sends home the vast company He had just fed, then climbs up a mountain and prays. What was it like for the Creator of the universe to be in the world He had made? He could have gone anywhere instantaneously. But He climbed mountains to pray and walked through waves to be with His own.
When Jesus walked on the sea, there was not a terrifying storm. But the wind was against them, the boat was far from land and the disciples were being tossed about in a rough sea. The world we live in is changeable. We face the storms of life which are difficult to travel through, and some of which are very threatening. We also know calmer paths. Jesus was teaching His disciples about how He would always be with them in their circumstances. They thought He was a ghost. People are afraid of the presence of God. In a world that has become so absorbed by what is material, people are uncomfortable when God reveals Himself to give them peace: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (verse 27). Peter’s response, like ours, often begins with an “if”: “Lord, if it is You …” (verse 28). But he did put himself in the hands of the Saviour who says, “Come” (verse 29). And Peter walked on water to go to Jesus. Then comes the most testing challenge to our faith – do we look to Jesus or look at the dangers or cares that surround us? Peter was, as we are often are, overwhelmed by the situation. He began to be afraid and sink into the sea. And Jesus immediately responds to his cry, “Lord, save me!” (verse 30), by lifting him up.
A brother once told me the story of when he first went to sea as a young fisherman. He woke up in the middle of a stormy night; the boat was being battered, and he felt terrified. He got up and went to the bridge where he could see the powerful waves on all sides of the vessel and feel the wind howling across its bows. Then he saw the skipper calmly manoeuvring the boat through the storm and joyfully singing hymns! He knew then he was safe. The Lord Jesus wants us to know we are safe.
Matthew 14 does not start with calmness, but after Jesus lifted Peter out of the sea, they walked back together through the storm to the boat and the wind ceased (verse 32). We all know those two watchwords of lockdown, “Stay safe.” The Lord Jesus wants us to walk with Him, by His grace, through all the experiences of our lives, knowing He will never let us go, knowing we are safe and, like the disciples, with our hearts filled with worship: “Truly You are the Son of God” (verse 33).
