🌿BREATHE TRUTH🌿
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called out to Him, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said. —Matthew 14:27-29
🌿LIVE THE REAL TRUTH🌿
Woeful weather accelerating. Whipping winds arousing. Worrisome waves arising. The disciples are on a boat distant from shore, in the dead of night, in the middle of a madness. They are far from the familiar, desperate in the darkness, and trapped in a tempest. When we face an epic storm, Jesus reminds us we have an eternal God.
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Jesus gives confirmation.
The disciples are feeling frantic, freaking out, and fueling fear. Mounting pressure from their surroundings increases their panic. Even when Jesus tells them to stay strong (“Take courage. I am here”) because He has arrived, the disciples do not heed His words and still doubt. In our storms, our humanity doesn’t hear well or listen well to Jesus. Tone. Block. Deaf. For this reason, Jesus’ presence must confirm His divinity.
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Jesus gives affirmation.
Peter has been in close proximity to Jesus since the twelve disciples begin serving together. He has seen Jesus handle the hungry, heal the hurting, and hearten the helpless. Yet Peter is unsure if it’s really Jesus or not.
Can Jesus really walk on the water? (Translate: Can He do the impossible when I’m in trouble?)
Is Jesus really there in the storm? (Translate: Is He coming here to rescue me?)
Peter is asking for the one thing many of us feel lacking. Assurance that God has our back if our life comes crashing down.
If my marriage fails, will you be there for me? If my career veers off a cliff, will you be there for me? If my health takes a turn for the worse, will you be there for me? If I’m in the most horrific storm of my life, will you be there, Jesus?
Jesus affirms in a way that no one else can: “Come.”
Jesus doesn’t make an appearance during our storms only to declare that our marriage is working now, our career is in functioning mode now, our health is up and running now. Because Jesus isn’t merely a fixer.
Jesus is not a mechanic who fixes pieces of our lives simply to make everything smoother. He won’t just change the oil, replace new tires, start jump the batteries to get our car/life moving for our convenience.
Take note here. Jesus does not make an appearance on the water to immediately stop the storm surrounding Peter. Because Jesus isn’t a fixer. What He tells Peter is one word: “Come.”
In the hardest times in your life, Jesus wants one thing from you: Come to Him because He is God.
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Jesus gives navigation.
Jesus desires for us to come to Him not simply to get our problems solved and resolved until the next storm shows up. Jesus wants to relationship with us and to lead us through storms for a lifetime. Instead of fixating on our immediate crisis, Jesus calls us to focus on faithing for the long journey.
He urges us to “Come” to Him because He is in complete control. Jesus is reminding us that all that occurs in our life, good or bad, resoundingly resides and remains under His watch. This truth doesn’t change when tempests tear apart our life. Jesus is the Good Captain. He will navigate us in the Real Truth if we earnestly “Come” to Him, and entrust the outcome of our circumstances to His steering and engineering. Beloved, He is not a fixer. He is Father and He is God.
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Copyright 2019