When I was ten, my family owned a vast grotesque pontoon boat. In all its lacking splendor, a journey on this ride was always entertaining. At a whopping 35mph, you could be the star of any lake! But sarcasm aside, the adventures taken are ones I’ll forever treasure. One summer afternoon in particular, however, this vessel took me on quite the expedition.
Snacks, towel, raft, and best friend in hand, the radiant sun beamed over the glimmering waves. With every crash that rose and fell, my beating heart grew more excited. Yet, in a few hours, the once beautiful scene before my eyes became a tsunami waiting to happen.
Stranded in the middle of Deer Creek State Park with nothing but a dead motor and an oar, we all began to panic. With a brewing storm above our heads and anxious minds racing in our souls, a recipe for the storm was setting.
In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter and the Disciples are in a similar predicament. Casting their sails after following His Will, they are disturbed when storms come to their little boat; why this difficulty was consuming them when they were doing what Jesus had asked them a few mere hours prior to obey.
But that’s the thing with storms; they don’t ask to appear, they just happen. Yet, at that moment, we have a choice: To walk on water and dance on the waves or sink in the storm and mourn in our suffering.
Peter told Jesus, “If it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water,” and Jesus said, “Come” (Matthew 14:28-29, ESV).
I imagine Peter losing his footing as he begins to sink and doubt that God will rescue him. “Why did you doubt?” I hear Jesus whisper, choosing to deliver him amid his uncertainty anyways (Matthew 14:31, ESV).
What if today we chose to dance and walk on water with Jesus because we trusted His deliverance in the middle of the storm rather than lacking the confidence of His promises? It’s not an easy promise, but it’s a storm I’m willing to weather.
Agape, Amber
*See Daughter of Delight for the original publication of this post*