20
Oct '18
Just Walk
20
Oct '18
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?” Matthew 14:28-31
When I am tired, where will I find strength? When I am afraid, where will I find courage? When I am lost, where will I go? These are the questions of a person in crisis. You know this because the questions are not complicated but very important. They are questions of desperation. They are the sounds of a person who has looked every which way possible without finding an answer. All of us have been there before.
It was Freshman year of high school. My mother and me were living in an apartment, and she had fallen sick during the semester. Yes, we had other family nearby, but my mom never wanted to be a burden to anyone. She endured whatever pain she needed to accomplish her goal. In this case, it was to finish her MBA and ensure her and her son would make it through the year together. I ended up going to school a good portion of the year on my own. I would wake up, get my clothes ready, and walk to the subway stop a half mile away to ride to school. My mother and father were not big on excuses. So, I just did it. No fanfare. No drama. No poor me. Just walk. There is a word for that. Some might call it ‘grit.’ I call it ‘faith.’ It means that when you end up in the situation where all you have are those three questions, you answer simply, “Start walking.” When you are tired, you get up, and start swinging. When you are afraid, you realize you have nothing to lose, and you fight. When you have no where to go, you make steps in a direction, and you keep walking. My mother and father always had faith in God. They instilled it in me. That’s why I got up, got dressed, walked to the subway, went to school, and then rode back to the hospital where my mom laid in bed writing her thesis paper.
One might ask where was God in all of this? He was teaching. Planning. Preparing. He is all-knowing that my mother and me would face other storms. But He was always there. Carrying. Protecting. Guiding. My mother and me did not make it because we were something special. We made it because we served an awesome God who watched over us. He kept us out of harm’s way, and kept my mother fighting when the pain was too great for her to even sleep.
The storms in our lives (or winds as Peter saw) are the tests of faith where God either found or watched over us. Think of the storms from your past. Sometimes, you may not have come out of it like you wanted, and you may not have known what to make of it all. However, when it was all said and done we looked to God, and said, “I don’t know how I made it through, but thank you!” Thank you, Jesus, for watching over me. Thank you, Jesus, for making a way when I could not see one. Thank you for giving me the courage and strength. I do not know what you might be facing today, and I am unsure what storm may come tomorrow. But I want you to remember that God is always there. Always encouraging you to keep walking.
So as Christ said to Peter, come. Sure, Peter eventually started to sink, but how many of you have taken that first step only to sink? Remember the first steps Peter took, he did not sink! He literally walked on water! It is interesting that it noted he began to sink only when he saw the wind. Perhaps that was why Paul said, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Let us live by these words of faith by belief in what God can do. Not seeing what seems impossible.
My prayer today is we take courage from the words of Jesus Christ and have the faith to just walk. Amen.
Kent
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