How to Walk on Water
Hey friends! Jesse and Marissa here and ready to chat!
Do you guys remember that time Peter walked on water with Jesus? You know, when he casually joined Jesus outside of the boat and was striding across the water in windy weather! Ok, let's dig a little deeper. Jesus sent Peter and the disciples to the boat while he went off to pray. They had been waiting all night, and right before dawn, he pulled up on them. They swore it was a ghost walking across the lake, and as they cried in fear, He told them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." So Peter said, "Hey, if it's you, then tell me to come on the water."
Imagine sitting in a boat for hours, kinda clueless as to why you were there and where Jesus was. As soon as you realized it was Jesus, you'd definitely want to go with him too. He had been waiting for Jesus! He was excited, willing, focused, and walking on water! Unfortunately, just as life likes to do, the wind started roaring. I even wonder if his friends on the boat were making noise too. Either way, he got distracted and began to sink, crying out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus pulled him out, asking why he had such little faith and doubted, and then the wind calmed down.
It's amazing how the world can distract us from Jesus even when we get hyped to pray and be with Him. After longing and waiting for Him, the world can quickly snatch your plan away and replace it with something temporarily shiny or even temporarily scary. The people around us might also be a distraction to us in this delicate walk with Jesus, or maybe they're just totally silent as they watch us sink. Wow, that's tough! Think about it.
The world around us is currently filled with opinions and is busy taking sides. Whether you lean red, blue, or independent, make sure that your eyes stay straight ahead on the throne. We have to fix our eyes on Jesus. When we look away from Him because the wind of life throws hard situations at us, we will sink, trying to handle it independently. Often we can feel so alone in our plan to be closer to Him because our friends are distracted, not supporting us, or fixed on other things that they find valuable in the world. We can't let that draw us to the world and away from Jesus.
When everything is uncertain in government, our schools, amidst this pandemic, and even our homes, find rest in God's certainty. Don't be like Peter and have little faith when life gets hard and you don't quite understand everything. But guess what, even if you are like Peter and life throws you off, Jesus will be right there to pull you out and calm the wind. He will always be on the throne.
We love you all and pray that you have an amazing week!
Jesse and Marissa
