Jesus in the Boat

Year 6-Day 63: Today, I am grateful for Jesus in the boat. 

It seems as if it has been another week of storms brewing for loved ones... friends and extended family. Trials come and trials pass, but in the storm, we all need reminders to claim His peace. 

This is a great quote:

"Peace doesn't come from finding a lake with no storms. It comes from having Jesus in the boat." -John Ortberg

What a great way to reframe the trials that attempt to steal our peace. Satan can only steal it, if we give it up, by taking our eyes and our trust off of Jesus. 

Ortberg notes that "Getting out of the boat was Peter's great gift to Jesus; the experience of walking on water was Jesus' great gift to Peter."

That imagery is powerful. The storm is raging. The disciples in the boat first think they see a ghost are terrified even more. Then, they realize it is Jesus walking across the fierce seas heading into their troubles. Isn't it just like Jesus, to meet us in the middle of our storm. He doesn't head the other direction... he joins us in the boat. At His word, the seas are stilled... but human hearts tend to keep racing with the adrenaline. 

When I opened BibleGateway to pull the scripture for today, I discovered this is the verse of the day: 

"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

It sure does fit with today's post. Now, let's look to Matthew 14:27-29:

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

I can't really imagine it. Impulsive Peter. The veteran fisherman, who was raised on the Sea of Galilee, hops out of the boat and walks on the water to Jesus. So often we focus on the moments he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. He was the only one who had enough faith to get out of the boat. 

An important part of this story is often overlooked. Jesus had just received the word earlier in the day that Herod had just beheaded John the Baptist. It was a murderous act manipulated by his new wife Herodias... who left her previous husband,Phillip,... who just happened to be Herod's brother. Oh yes, not so different than the things we see in the news today. 

Jesus was broken hearted. 

Remember, John the Baptist was not only his cousin, their mother's were pregnant together. John "prepared the way" for Jesus with his prophetic preaching and teaching. They were wilderness boys at heart, finding comfort in time alone with God. When times were tough - time in the wilderness was always refreshing. Jesus sought the wilderness places as a boy and as a man, to pray, seek God's will and worship.  

Jesus, in his grief over John the Baptist... tried to get in a boat to get away, but the people followed him. They pursued him relentlessly looking for healing miracles and his teaching. They pressed in on him. He had compassion on them and stayed to meet their needs. In his brokenness, he poured out all that he had into others. He ended up performing another miracle by feeding more than 5000 men, plus women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish. 

When he finished teaching that day, he was determined to get some time alone with the Father for prayer, grief and  restoration. The news of John's beheading still raw and fresh. He was in the middle of a very human, personal storm. The grief and loss was real. He sent the disciples back to the boat and sent them out to sea. I wonder if is was as much to keep them contained and out of trouble, or to prevent them from finding more who needed his healing and help. We can only wonder. 

What we do know, is that at 3am - he was walking on the water to a boat full of scared men facing high winds on the sea. He was heading into their storm and joining them in their boat. 

Brothers and sisters, there are storms going on around us. All the time. Sin is still loose but the enemy's time is growing shorter, and he knows it. We can expect storms. But never doubt that Jesus understands grief, loss and exhaustion. He wore our skin to better understand being human. Even when he was human, he walked into the storms of those around him offering peace and calm. How can we not love him? 

He still walks into our trials... if we invite him into the boat. 

Today, I am grateful for Jesus in the boat.