COME!

In St. Matthew 14 we find an account of Jesus constraining His disciples to get into a ship to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  They had just witnessed a notable miracle where Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves of bread to feed over 5,000 people.  The disciples must have felt on top of the world after such an experience, but they soon became less confident as they found themselves in the middle of a storm out in deep water and Jesus not with them. 

 

This has always reminded me of the highs and lows that we go through as Christians.  One moment we may feel blessed and strong in the Lord, and the next moment be frightened by circumstances that we don’t seem to have any control over.  The mountains and valleys of life are something that we all experience; but through them all, Christ is teaching us that He is the Master of all things.

 

When it began to grow late, Jesus came to them walking on the sea.  At first, they were frightened at the sight of Him because they thought He was a ghost.  After all, they had never seen or heard of a person walking on water and naturally thought that only a spirit could accomplish such a thing.  Jesus knew they were troubled and said to them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”  It is comforting to know that the Lord is with us during the storms of life, but we need to understand that He often allows such things for our instruction!  He constrained these men into the ship to begin with, knowing that there would be a lesson in the storm that they were going to encounter. 

 

Life’s trials help to mold and shape us into the persons that God wants us to become.  We don’t usually see them coming or expect them when they happen; but looking backward, we can recognize the hand of the Father in what we’ve gone through.  Surely, not every trial is from God; but we do know that everything works together for good to those who love Him, and He can use each trial to strengthen us and cause us to grow.

 

Peter was the only one of the disciples who said to the Lord, “If it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.”  What was he thinking!  The fact is that I don’t think he was.  His sole motivation was to be with Jesus – the “walk on the water” was just something that stood between him and his Lord.  That’s where I want to be in my spiritual journey: to consider miracles as simply a by-product of walking with my Lord.  Peter’s faith was focused squarely on Jesus, and he didn’t consider the storm or the miracle in his desire to get to Him.  Jesus’ response was to say simply, “Come.”  He always offers us this simple invitation when He recognizes that our desire is toward Him. 

 

Peter was quick to jump out of the boat and walk toward Jesus.  It was no big deal – until his eyes were distracted from Jesus and toward the waves that were rolling all around him.  At this point, he began to sink into the water.  Being frightened for his life, Peter cried out and said, “Lord, save me.”   I’ve certainly been there before, haven’t you?  God blesses me in some astonishing way, and then a “storm” descends and I get scared.  When I begin to sink, I call out to the Lord, and He always reaches out His hand and encourages me yet again.

 

When we focus on either extreme in our lives - the severity of the storm, or the impossibility of the miracle that it will take to overcome it – we lose sight of the Lord Himself.  Jesus must be our focus always.  At another time, when His disciples came to Him rejoicing in the miracles that they had done in His name, Jesus told them, instead, to rejoice that their names were written in heaven.  When we aim to honor Him alone, and all we want is to be where He is and to do His will, He will extend the invitation to us to “Come.”  Then we will find that anything is possible for those who believe.  Too many Christians spend their whole lives content to cower in the ship.  Let us, however, be led by our love and devotion to our Lord and Savior to leave the ship and go out to where He is.  Neither wind nor waves will be able to deter us – they will be merely the tool that helps to refine us.  We will then find that miracles are possible when our eyes are fixed on Him alone!              

 

"And when they [Jesus and Peter] were come into the ship, the wind ceased.  Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." (Matthew 14:32, 33).