Into the Storm
Immediately Jesus made the disciples
get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed
the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself
to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a
considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was
against it. – Matthew 14:22-24
This is the passage of Scripture that begins with a
boat ride and ends with Peter walking on water. We get so enthralled by the
image of Peter walking over the churning water toward Jesus. We lament that he
took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. We cheer when Jesus reaches out
and catches him, remembering again that we’ve no reason to fear when Jesus is
near.
It’s a beautiful story of risk and faith. Sometimes we
even remember the 11 who stayed in the boat. You know. The other disciples who
played it safe while Peter, bold and impulsive, jumped out of the boat and headed
toward Jesus.
What we sometimes miss is that Jesus sent them into
the storm. Jesus knows all things. He knew that by sending His disciples ahead,
He was sending them out into dangerous waters. Literally.
Peter, James, John and Andrew were experienced fishermen.
They understood the sudden storms that could occur. They weren’t likely to be
easily frightened by wind and waves. But some storms are harder than others.
Some storms make us feel as though we won’t survive until morning.
Has Jesus ever sent you into the storm? Have you ever
prayed and prayed about something, then believing you’ve heard a clear “yes”,
step out in faith only to have it blow up in your face? Yeah. Me too.
It’s difficult not to be angry with Jesus, isn’t it? After
all, it’s one thing to do something and expect Jesus to bless it after we’ve
already done it. We shouldn’t be surprised when He throws up His hands and
leaves us to our own mess. But when we are trying to follow Him, to do His
will, and find that He’s lead us toward the storm, well, that’s hard.
How can a God who wants good things for us, let us be
hurt unnecessarily? That’s how it seems, anyway. We can somehow grasp cancer
and heart disease and other illnesses. We can somehow make peace with violence
and job loss and accidents. But to be heading straight toward Jesus and find
ourselves in the middle of a mess? Well, that’s tough.
We live in a fallen world. We’re quick to say that but
do we really understand what it means? We are under constant attack from Satan
and his followers. We never know when the next knock will come, when the next
challenge will present itself, when the next heartbreak will make us want to
retreat. But Jesus knows. And still He sends us into the storm.
A sweet friend explained that sometimes it really isn’t
about us. Sometimes it’s about being an example for another person, ministering
to someone else, causing another person to pause and accept Jesus as Lord and
Savior. Maybe He’s just using us for a greater good. Okay. But it sure does
hurt, doesn’t it?
Maybe it is about us. Maybe Jesus has decided to
completely break us so He can rebuild us. That’s not a fun thought, is it? Who
wants to invite pain into their lives? Surely, there’s another way – especially
when we really want to do His will.
When Peter saw the wind, he began to sink. The wind
became his focus instead of Jesus and Peter was frightened. It was in that
moment that Peter cried out to Jesus. And what happened?
Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand
and caught him, “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt.”
– Matthew 14:31
