Day #25
Larry Trotter
Words
of Love
25 And
in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him
walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they
cried out in fear. 27
Matthew 14: 25-27 NIV
Overcoming the Barrier
I love spring
thunderstorms, so long as they don’t cause property damage and injury. For me,
there is something exhilarating about the howling wind and the booming thunder.
However, it was not always so. One of my earliest memories of being really afraid
was when I was around five. It happened on a night when my brother with whom I
shared a room was away at a friend’s house.
A vicious storm blew through the area and seemed to stop right over our
house. The lightening and thunder were practically simultaneous indicating that
right over the house isn’t an exaggeration. I remember putting my head under
the covers so that I couldn’t see the lightening as vividly which took away the
cue that thunder was coming and made it even more startling and scary. I don’t
mind telling you that I was terrified. After one window-rattling crash my mom
came into the room and saw me hunkered down under the covers. She called my
name, sat down on the bed, and gently rubbed my back through the sheet.
Instantly, I relaxed from the ball I had wadded myself into and pulled the
sheet down so I could see her. The cool air and her tender hand on my face were
both calming and reassuring. The storm raged on for another half-hour, but my
mom’s presence in the room lowered the fear factor and allowed me to even drift
off to sleep. The powerful storm had lost its power to terrify me because my
mom was with me.
We’re taking a
two-week detour from Luke’s gospel because I really want to explore this story
and Luke doesn’t mention it. I love that the gospel writers share some common
events and others are unique to their recollections. This story follows Jesus
slipping away for some time for reflection after learning that Herod had
executed John the Baptist. The crowds found him and Jesus held an impromptu
healing service followed by dinner on the ground for 5,000 with minimal
catering. Tired and in need of a little more prayer time he sent the disciples
across the lake where a storm was brewing. Sometime in those darkest hours
between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., the fourth watch as Matthew calls it, Jesus,
fresh from devotional time with his Father, walked out to them on the lake. Their
reaction to Jesus walking on the water is interesting. It isn’t clear if they
thought they were seeing Jesus in ghost form or some other ghostly apparition. To
the first century mind water represented the most dangerous and mysterious dimension
of creation. Only a deity could walk on water. Sensing their confusion and
distress Jesus uses the language of the Burning Bush to Moses: “It is I,” or “I
Am.” He was signaling that the troubled water would not consume them because he
was its creator and master. It’s important to note that the winds that had been
impeding their progress across the lake all night had not let up. Jesus did not
immediately silence the wind and waves; he simply joined them in the storm. The
lesson I believe Jesus was instilling in those first century disciples is the
same for 21st century disciples. God doesn’t always show up and calm
the storm. Sometimes God appears and the storm keeps right on raging. His presence,
however, neutralizes the storm’s power to frighten us. Even though our fear may
blind us to the possibility of His presence, he comes, perhaps not to
immediately calm the storm, but to immediately calm us while the storm
persists. Tomorrow we’ll look at the rest of the passage for Part Two of this
lesson on the lake and see how one disciple responded to this bridge over
troubled water.
Prayer
Mighty God, help me to not miss your calming
presence in the storm because it wasn’t what I expected. Open my heart to the
peace that is possible even though the waves keep crashing. In Jesus’ name,
amen.
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