Encouragement
Dive In
by Lance K. Wilson, Sr.
It is reminiscent of a Hollywood action film, I am speaking of the passage of scripture in Matthew 14:22-33. Here’s the scene, Jesus has told his disciples to go across the lake and wait for him on the other side. When suddenly a storm begins to brew. The boat is tossed to and fro and is in danger of capsizing and it’s occupants in danger of drowning. Now just stop for a moment and let’s go deeper in this.
We have several men in a fishing boat, not a small dingy, or a row boat, but a boat that was built for rough weather and for the express purpose of hauling a large number of fish. Nets hung from the mast ropes coiled like cobras on the deck and experienced fisherman at the helm. If I were on board, worrying about my safety would be the last thing on my mind. Peter and Andrew and John and James worked at the Zebedee Fishing Company all their lives. They learned their trade from their father and were successful at it,( only the best Companies could employ so many and have so many boats as Zebedee had.). they must have figured that it would take them less than an hour to transverse the lake and meet up with Jesus on the other side. They were in what has become known as a “Comfort Zone”. A place where one need not be cautious, anxious or concerned about the things outside the ‘zone’. A place of false rest and contentment. A place where everything is as it should be and nothing need be disturbed.
As they first set out they probably checked the sky and saw the deep rich blue that told them it would be clear sailing. A light breeze may have ruffled their hair and caused the water to ripple slightly, but there was no indication of the oncoming storm. So, they cast off their lines and pulled in the anchor and pointed the rudder toward the direction of the opposite shore. A mile from shore they settled in for the short trip. Maybe they discussed the events of the day, how Jesus fed so many folks with so little. Or how he healed the affirm, or maybe they talked at length of the brutal death of John the Baptizer. We can only imagine.
The lake was as smooth as glass, they were now just a mile or two from the center of the lake. Peter, probably, was the one in charge of steering the boat. He enjoyed the portrayal of leader. Andrew always looked up to him and now the others did too. He noticed that Jesus always called his name first whenever the ‘inner circle’ convened. He wonder though about the others. These were not men he would have chosen. When Nathaniel made that comment about “..nothing good comes out of Nazareth..”, well he knew that Jesus wouldn’t pick such a racist. But, here he was. Or that tax collector, the guy who more than likely lined his pockets with every cent of the Jewish tax money, why pick him? Yet, he too was there. Yes, Peter wondered about all of the men on the boat and he even wondered about himself. Sure, he could bellow with the best of them even handle himself fairly well in a fight if it came to that. But were those qualities for leadership? Jesus was neither loud nor did he seem of an uneven temperament. In fact when Peter thought that Jesus should get angry and physical....he didn’t. And many still sought him and looked on him as the next great leader of the people. Maybe it was the fact that he was so willing to do for others and never asked for anything in return. Or perhaps it was the way he spoke to the people, he talked with authority yet there was a deep compassion for the people that he spoke to. He even sounded sad when he was rebuking those snooty priests and their scribes. Peter determined , more than likely , to observe Jesus more closely when they got to the other side. Right now though he needed to tighten his robe a bit because it was getting cold.
Imagine the surprise on the faces of the men in the boat when, in the matter of an eye twinkle, the sky darkened and the winds picked up and the lake began to bubble like soup in a pot. “ This can’t be happening,” they must’ve thought. Instinct took over and they began to do what they had learned from years of fishing to keep the boat afloat. John, shouting orders to Andrew and Peter yelling to the others to remain calm. Then the rain started. Coming down in sheets not drops. Filling the boat with water. They began to bail it over the side of the boat but the waves just threw it back in. Nothing these experienced sailors did could right the situation. No amount of knowledge could save them from this tempest. Soon chaos ensued on the boat. No one could hear anything because wind had become deafening. It was hard to see because of the darkness. The once calm and docile lake was going to be their tomb. Fear soon gripped them and they all caught that ‘every man for themselves’ mentality. Just then in the distance they saw a bright light on the shore. As the storm raged about them, it became obvious that the light wasn’t on the shore but on the water itself! Someone shouted, “ It ‘s a ghost!” but the closer the light got the more they realized that the ghost looked like their Rabbi. They heard a familiar voice call to them over the roar of the wind. “Be of good courage, don’t be afraid it is I.” How incredible that must have been to them. Here was their master walking on the water as though it were the cobblestones of Jerusalem. At that moment I know they lost all fear and it was replaced with awe and wonder. Here was an improbable situation, (the storm) and it is overridden by the impossible (Jesus walking on the water). Forgotten was the winds, forgotten was the rain, forgotten was the crushing waves, forgotten was the impenetrable darkness. For a moment the entire world stood silent. Then Peter said “If that’s you, master bid me come to you.” Jesus stopped stretched out his arms and gently said, “ Come.” Peter stood and put one foot on the water while the other was in the boat. I imagine that the others looked on in horror. They must have thought that Peter had lost his mind. It was probably all Andrew could do to stop himself from grabbing his brother from certain death. But Peter never took his eyes off of Jesus. He lifted his other leg over the side of the boat and stood on the water. Jesus must have smiled when he saw this. One of them finally understood. Peter looked into the eyes of God and started to walk toward him
. When we are in the presence of the Almighty time does not exist. Circumstances are ignored. Afflictions are of no consequence. Darkness and fear and anxiety are rendered null and void. There is only God and that is all that matters. Which one of us would not have come when He called? The sweetness of His voice and the authority of the Creator of all things is enough to melt the stoniest heart. Peter must have seen the peace in his eyes, the assurance of a burden bearer, the love of a father for a child, the protection of a King for his subjects, that secret place that only the High Priest were privileged enough to bask in. What love Peter must have felt for him at that moment. But, just as it is now so it was then, the storm still raged around him. Maybe a drop of rain hit his cheek, or the wind blew his robe, or the water lapped against his ankles. Whatever it was, it was enough for him to stop and look around at the problem at hand.
Now I have heard it said that Peter began to drown. But this is in error, he began to sink. His faith left him gradually. See it takes a great deal of bashing and smashing at our faith before we begin to sink. Daily we are bombarded by the pressures of life. It is only by faith that we walk this Christian way. If we do nothing to strengthen our faith, we too will look around and notice that the winds are contrary, that the darkness is deep and impenetrable, and that the rains are constant. We will lose all hope of rescue. We will seek any life preserver that is thrown to us. Desperation overrides our affirmation to our Lord. Then any doctrine will do as long as it is tolerant of our shortcomings.
Yet, Peter knew where his salvation lied. It was not in the men in the boat, they remained stupefied by the whole scenario and were useless. It was not in his own strength because try as he might he couldn’t get back on top of the water. His salvation was in the one that created the water, the wind , the rain, and not in Peter himself. It was and is in Jesus the Christ. That’s who Peter cried out to. Not to his friends or to some pagan deity. But to the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. The Word says that Jesus immediately reached down and lifted Peter up. Then Jesus asked him, “Why did you doubt?”. If Peter caught a hold of what Jesus meant he would have enjoyed the anointing earlier instead of later. As soon as Jesus stepped into the boat the storm died a quick death. After all the disciples had seen Him do this was the first time that they realized exactly who their master truly was.
Yes, it is a story worthy of Hollywood but only the Holy Spirit can make it real to us. There has never been anyone more compassionate then Jesus. He answers a cry for redemption, for salvation, for deliverance, but we must not doubt. If we come in sincerity and faith He will rescue us from our sinking faith.
As a father of three I know first hand what it is like to have someone trust you and have faith in you. My eldest daughter, she’s 19, and I use to play a game, when she was just a toddler, I called “Blast Off”. She would run into my arms and I would count down from ten to zero and the toss her high into the air. She would stretch out her arms and squeal with joy and I would catch her. “Do it again,” she’d say and we would. But as she got older the game became less and less because she started to weigh more and more. But it was passed on to her sister and then to my son. They are all too old for “Blast Off” now but they have learned that daddy would never drop them, never let them fly too high, and would always hug them in the safety of his arms when the ride got too scary. It took me several years to realize that Jesus is the same way. It took Peter a long time to realize that also. I am confident that he remembered that day on the lake for the rest of his life. Trust in the Lord my friends He will always lift you up from the sinking depths of your troubles.
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