“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”
(Matthew 14:28-29)
Reflection:
The disciples were in a boat, struggling against the wind and the waves, when they saw Jesus walking on the lake. Terrified they cried out in fear. Then when Jesus spoke to them Peter made his startling request and acted upon the response.
On the one hand it appears to be a silly and impulsive thing to say. However it tells us something very special. In the midst of the tiredness, danger and fear that afflicted them Peter recognised that the safest place to be was with the Lord. He did not appeal to Jesus to come to him, but asked instead that he be allowed to go to Him. In it all was the recognition of Jesus as ‘Lord’ and that it was quite within His power to enable Peter to walk across the surface of the water.
We all experience storms in our lives. Sometimes they happen because we have strayed from the presence of the Lord and at others they are a part of the journey of life. Whatever the reason they may seem to be overwhelming. We may be certain, as Christians, that Jesus is still near to us. We can and should call out to Him for help – and as He showed during His ministry He is very willing to go to people in need. However, we should also consider whether a better request might be for Jesus to help us get back to Him. We can be sure that He will reach out and take us with Him to a better place.
Response:
I am called to follow the Lord – not for Him to follow me.
Prayer:
Forgive me Lord if I have strayed. Please help me to return to You for ‘in Your presence is fullness of joy.’ Amen.
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Softly, Spoke the River 