There is a great story in the 14th chapter of the Gospel
of Matthew where the disciples are taught a valuable lesson about listening to
and hearing the voice of the Master- especially in the midst of distraction,
emotional chaos and crazy life circumstances.
The story is set along the Sea of Galilee and takes place in the early
morning hours of an extremely long and physically draining boat ride. Jesus had
sent the disciples ahead of Him to cross the Sea of Galilee while He spent some time alone
with His Father in prayer.
This simple boat ride had taken a turn for the worse in
the wee hours of the morning when a strong storm had settled in on the waters
bringing with it powerful winds and heavy waves. In the midst of these difficult
and arduous circumstances the lesson begins.
The Scripture tells us that the ‘disciples were in
trouble’ and nowhere near the shore. It is three o’clock in the morning and the struggle
had been going on for a while. The only power available to the disciples is
that which they can generate themselves and they are weary and losing strength.
Through the howling of the wind and the blinding drops of the falling rain the
disciples see Jesus walking toward them on the water.
They can see well enough to recognize that the ‘person’
walking toward them is Jesus but their logical mind cannot allow this
information to be processed and believed for what it is. As a result, they
decide to call the ‘man on the water’ a ghost or a figment of their
imagination. They are terrified and literally scared to death.
It is in this moment that Jesus sees their fear and the
late-night lesson begins as He speaks the critical words that are so difficult
to actually act on, “Don’t be afraid, take courage, I am here!”
Why is it Jesus chooses this time, while surrounded by
incredible life-threatening circumstances, to speak words that under normal
circumstances are full of comfort? His
words seem confusing and misplaced, don’t they?
Why does He call on the disciples to “take courage” and “not be afraid”
while the storm clearly rages around them, and asks them to do this before calming the wind and the
waves?
The challenge of the Master presented to His disciples
then is the same one that is presented to us today – will we listen to the
voice of truth even when circumstances and situations scream that we should
not?
Our eyes are distracted by the very real waves and storms
that pound our boats. Our bodies are completely drained by the hours of work
put in to just keep our boat afloat. Our
hearts are full of fear and confusion as the reality of our situation sets in.
The Bible is clear about a several things during this
story:
-The disciples recognize the
figure walking toward them as Jesus
-They hear His words to take courage
and not be afraid
-They fully know what Jesus is
capable of with regards to the supernatural
This late night rendezvous is not an accident. It is a
purposeful set-up to help teach the disciples an incredible lesson – trust the
words of the Master no matter what.
Most of us remember how this story ends as Peter, in a
moment of boldness, cries out to the Lord and says, “Lord if it is really you,
command me to come out to you on the water”. And as he climbs out of the boat
something amazing happens: he is able to take steps on the water without
sinking! His faith in Jesus has worked
and he is doing the impossible! But the scripture tells us his faith was
immediately tested, “when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was
terrified and began to sink, ‘Save me Lord’! He shouted.”
Jesus reached out immediately and pulled him out of the
water and asked the heart-wrenching question, “Why did you doubt Me”? Then they
climbed back into the boat and the storm stopped instantly. And the disciples
responded with worship and a powerful declaration, “You really are the Son of
God”.
I see myself all through this story. I am fully aware of
who Jesus is and what He is capable of.
But I have a tendency to lose sight of that in the midst of my own
personal dilemma and struggle. Like Peter I often have the boldness to speak up
and ask the Lord to call me out of the boat, but then I take my eyes off of Him
and become overwhelmed at all the circumstances that surround me and cause my
faith to fade away.
I personally have been in the midst of an incredible
personal storm that has been ongoing for just over a year. I have been
challenged like never before to listen to the voice of truth despite my
circumstances. I have been unemployed for a sustained season, and for a man
that is an incredible challenge to our innate programming to provide for our
family and be the bread winner. In the midst of this struggle I have been
confronted with all kinds of distractions and challenges to the truth of what
God has said about me. I am learning to have faith in what He has said about me regardless of what my circumstances might be..
The challenge is to hear the voice of the Master and
focus on Him and His words rather then on the chaos and struggles that abound.
Our goal is to be trained by the truth of what Jesus is saying, even if it seems
illogical and makes no sense. In the midst of a storm that is preparing to take
the life of His disciples, Jesus calls on them to “Take courage, I am here”. As
Peter is beginning to sink into the sea and cries out for help Jesus questions
him and says, “Why did you doubt Me”?
Like the disciples, we are fully aware of what Jesus is
capable of and the amazing things that He can accomplish. But like the
disciples, we too lose sight of the Master and begin to focus on our
circumstances and problems. The lesson we must learn is to hear and trust the
truth of Jesus in midst of life and chaos.
We must listen to the truth even if our circumstances seem to tell us that the truth of God’s Word is a lie. Jesus’ message to His disciples
in His day remains the same to us, His disciples today: “do not be afraid, I am here”. Are we willing
to believe that Jesus is here in the midst of our storm? And are we willing to
trust that He will work while chaos and struggle surround us?
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