Story Time

Jesus Intervenes

In the Bible we have an account where the disciples were crossing the lake during the night. They had left for the opposite side of the lake while Jesus stayed back to send all the people home. Suddenly a strong wind arose, creating large waves. Water splashed into the disciples’ boat. Feverishly they struggled to stay afloat. In the fourth watch of the night Jesus came walking to them on the water. At first the disciples thought they had seen a spirit and cried out in fear. Then Jesus spoke these comforting words, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” 

Upon hearing these words, impulsive Peter asked Jesus to bid him come unto Him. “Come,” Jesus said. We can see Peter quickly get over the side of the boat and walk towards Jesus. Just as he begins to close the gap between them a big wave comes rolling along and as Peter focuses on the wave he begins to sink. “Lord save me,” Peter cries and trustingly reaches for his master’s hand. Jesus gently chides Peter for his lack of faith. Together they walk to the boat and promptly the winds cease! 

We see in this story that when Peter focused on Jesus, he could walk in a place where usually it is impossible for a human to walk, and when he focused on the big waves and the storm, he began to sink.

Today we often look at the dark, discouraging things in life, and we begin to go down. We may look at politics, governments, and wars, in our country and also far away, and we feel afraid. Sometimes we look at our lives so far, and we see we have made a big mess of things. Sometimes it is the people we love who are making wrong choices, and we feel so sad and helpless. We may be sick or handicapped, and the future looks impossible, bearing a burden day after day. There are many other things also; being treated unkindly, being betrayed by someone we trusted, having our bright hopes and dreams dashed to the ground, and not having the money to pay our bills. Life can look so bleak and so stormy!

Yet, when we look to Jesus, we can find it possible to walk ahead in a seemingly impossible situation. It is often a slow walk, starting with one step in the right direction. When we take that step, we will find enough joy to take another step, and after awhile we will look back and say, “I walked with Jesus through a place I thought I would never make it through!”

When we sink, Jesus reaches out His hand, and is ready to pull us back up. He says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Mathew 28:20) Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, hold His hand, and not look down at the waves.