Friday, November 15, 2013

He Made Them Get Into the Boat -an Afterthought


 "Then when they had rowed about three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid".  (John 6:19-20).

Hey Gang:  I was sitting outside my bride’s favorite store (Goodwill), when a thought suddenly popped into my think tank.  You know thoughts that suddenly pop into your think tank come from one of three sources - Abba Father, self, or the evil one.  That is why it is important to spend time each morning preparing your Armor for repelling the evil one and hanging additional cannon fodder from the Lord on the knobs that you developed in the past as a shield against the darts. 

The thought that popped in came in the form of a question?   How does the message of Matthew 14 fit into today's walk with the Lord?  In the story we have all of the ingredients of a very scary experience.  We have wind, very rough seas and the blackness of night.  I think if we each took a moment or two, we could recall a time when we, too, faced similar ingredients.

But they had something going for them, Jesus was on the mountain praying. He continues to intercede for us: and, if He tells us to immediately get into the boat and push out into harm’s way, He will never leave us or forsake us!  The story tells us He came at the exact moment when we were about to give up hope and face the reality that,  if something does not happen now, I mean "right now" they were going to have a face to face meeting with Davy Jones.  

Notice His first words: "Hey gang, don't be afraid".  Again, fix the picture in your mind, blackness of night, winds howling, seas swirling and He says "do not be afraid".  Tough? Yes!  And keep in mind they, the disciples had not had what one might call a great day filled with examples of their great faith.  It was to be a life changing experience, but at that very moment their thoughts were not on faith issues but on survival issues.  Been there, done that!  How about you?

And, in the midst of terrorizing experience, I find an unbelievable statement coming forth from the mouth of the impetuous one, Peter "Lord if it is really you, command me to come to You in  the water".  What kind of courage would it take to respond to Jesus’ command, "Come!"  Wow, Lord!

Peter heard one word from the Lord and he stepped out in faith: however, I suspect the ever- present "Slu Foot was there whispering in his ear.  ‘Peter, you can't do this, it is impossible. I mean look around you,  water under your feet, howling winds, swirling seas!’ And Matthew says, "Peter saw the howling wind and he became frightened and began to sink."  

There are so many wonderful lessons in this chapter that can be life changing experiences for you.  But there are two that most impacted on my life. First, when Peter cried out "Lord save me”, and the next words, "Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of Peter".    True he added a little rebuke to Peter, "You of little faith, why do you doubt?”  Then the second power verse "And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying,  You are certainly God's Son!"

 Soooo, my young friends, Several thoughts that I would challenge you to consider as you traverse this day:  First, are you secure in the boat that is Christ Jesus?  In our story the boat is a place of security in Christ.  Keep in mind the enemy has his dart gun loaded and ready for action.  Second, we have the call to “Go into the world and be witnesses” of God's great love. If we stay in the boat, we are going to be pummeled by the evil one; if we get out of the boat, we have His help and can then rise above the storm.   But, we have to follow Peter's example and be willing to "get out of the boat"!

 Blessings,


Gramps

No comments:

Post a Comment