Resolved to have His solitude, Jesus now sent His
disciples into a boat to go ahead of Him to the other side of the lake. Then He
sent the crowd away while He went up to the Mountain to pray. At last, He got
the solitude He needed and was by Himself and praying all alone. How needful it
is for us to emulate the Lord. No matter how busy life presents itself, we must
take time out to be alone with God. There is absolutely no replacement for
undivided time to talk to God and to learn to listen attentively to Him.
The hour Jesus sent His disciples and the crowd away was
not indicated in the passage. However, we are told that He was there alone praying
and it was evening. Meanwhile, the disciples were already a great distance from
the shore, and the boat was sailing into the eye of a storm. It was tossed and
driven by the rough wave. A strong wind had blown from the opposite direction
and was preventing them from advancing in their journey. Isn’t this very much
the story of life and faith journey with Jesus? Things are not always smooth
sailing. The Lord, who sent us on the journey ahead, knows that we have to
confront the storm and adversities of life. Through it all, we must remember
that oak trees grow strong through contrary wind, and diamonds are made under
great pressure. We need to be aware that God never leaves us alone to struggle
on our own. All we need is to look up and look to Him.
Verse 25 tells us that it was at the fourth watch of
the night, which is between three to six o’clock in the early morning. Here
they were in the fiercest moment, engulfed by fear that the Lord came to them
walking on the water. Two things to ponder. Firstly, He who sent us into the
storm is also the Lord of the storm. Secondly, whatever storms that threaten to
overwhelm us are already under His feet. More importantly, He will always come
to us in the night of our storm. And He will come to help us walk through it.
Jesus coming to us may not be as apparent as we
sometime wish it is. But like Peter, we can always seek His affirmation. But
when we are walking towards Him, let’s keep our eyes on Him and not the
threatening storm. But first, if we want to walk over our storm, we need to get
out of our boat, our comfort zone. Keeping our eyes on the Lord is imperative.
Fears develop when we look away from Jesus. Keeping our eyes steadfastly on
Jesus in the face of difficulties requires faith. And without it we sink into
the mire of fear and despair. Always know that He stays around to help get us
out. As Peter cried out to Him, we need to cry out when we feel overwhelmed. His
hands are never too short that He will not save, and His ears never too dull
that He will not hear.
In this account Jesus helped Peter and together they
got into the boat. How can they who experience such wonders not worship? So the
disciples did exactly that. They worshipped Him there and then in that boat. He
truly is God’s Son. He certainly is! News concerning Jesus spread. People
thronged to Him. Many sick implored Him to heal them. We know He did. Even
those who merely touched the fringe of His garment went away healed. Let us get
out of our comfort zone and walk with Jesus! There can never ever be a storm
too great that He will not be able to take us through! Brace up for the journey
over your storm!
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