Walking Through the Storm
This morning, I woke up to the pounding sound of torrential rain and thunder outside my window.
Unlike apparently 80% of the people I have met, I HATE thunderstorms. Nothing is less calming to me than literally feeling the wind shake my house and seeing lightning strike right outside my window. So those of you who think this is "peaceful"... I feel like I have a right to say that you are slightly crazy.
But, as I listened to the thunderstorm, I realized that my reaction to it reflected so much of what I am feeling in my own life. Frightened, uncontrollable, and unsure of when the storm - difficult circumstances - would end. Wondering when God would recognize my struggles and rescue me from them.
Have you felt this way? Have you been begging for God to remove the difficulty you've been fighting through? Begging for Him to just do something to show that He is still working in your life?
As I thought about this, my mind moved back to an old Bible story that I have heard millions of times - Peter walking on the water.
Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” - Matthew 14: 22-23
I've heard this preached so much, but today, God showed me three different truths from it that I need to recognize in days where I feel like all I'm doing is struggling.
1. Jesus usually approaches us in a storm.
When you glance through the Bible, Jesus tends to show up when things are not going super well. Like in this case, the disciples have decided to take a small boat out on a terribly windy night. Waves are probably crashing down on the, soaking them through - and the wind is probably biting through their clothing. They are most likely feeling extremely uncomfortable in their situation - and then Jesus comes to them. When miracles occur in the Bible, it's not because things are going great - usually, something is terribly, terribly wrong. And trust me when I say I HATE when life is uncomfortable and things aren't the way I would like them to be. But I also recognize that these spaces create a need to look for Jesus - and that's where He shows up.
2. Jesus didn't hold Peter's hand when he tried to walk on water.
I think often times, I expect God to literally take my hand in His and craft a path clearly lit to follow in life. And when I take a step, I expect to be instantly reassured that it was the correct one. Here's the truth though. Jesus didn't coach Peter through walking on the water. He didn't take Peter's hand and guide him through the waves, He didn't chant like a cheerleader to reassure Peter that He was there, waiting. He spoke one word: "Come." He challenged Peter to step out in faith - and to continue stepping. Even when the wind and waves were crashing into Peter, Jesus still waited. God isn't going to walk every single step FOR us - if He did, there would be no reason for faith. We need to remember His simple call to follow His guide, and then continue to follow, even when He isn't constantly reassuring us that we are on the right path. Know that God is GOOD - He is not going to leave you stranded in the waves.
3. Jesus waited until Peter realized what he needed was Jesus' help.
As I mentioned before, when Peter began walking on the water, Jesus waited. When Jesus saw that Peter started to become fearful of the waves, He waited. When Peter's feet started slipping through the waves, He still waited. You see, Jesus did not do a single thing between calling "Come" to Peter and Peter crying out for help. He stood and waited for Peter to remember the reason he was out on the terrifying waves in the first place - to reach Jesus. And when Peter finally remembered that Jesus was there, he cried out for help - and Jesus immediately rescued him. The one thing I struggled with in this passage is that Jesus IMMEDIATELY rescued Peter when he cried out for help. And I feel like sometimes I cry out for help, and I'm not gaining an immediate response. Here's what I believe is truth from this passage and what God has been teaching me. Yes, Jesus reached out and took Peter's hand - but they did not magically reappear in the boat. Peter had to continue to walk THROUGH the waves and the wind - the fear was still very real and very present. I'm sure he had to glance to Jesus every few seconds to make sure that he was still walking with him. Jesus doesn't promise to pluck us out of our circumstances, but He promises to be by our side, to turn to for strength when the waves are getting too large. And when we start getting afraid of the waves again, we need to remember to look to Jesus, through His Spirit and His words, because He is walking right with us in the storm.
