Rise & Fall

I tried something new while on vacation, floating in the ocean. The resort I stayed at had a roped in area where you could snorkel and swim and we had brought along float tubes to use in the pools and ocean.

One day I was floating near the furthest barrier by myself and took some time to simply sit and watch the ocean. I anchored myself to the buoy and looked out as far as I could see. In the distance I could see different types of boats and occasionally I would catch a glimpse of the mainland.

After I had floated for a while the waves started to pick up. I would rise up on top of a wave and be able to see far away and then the wave would fall and I would only see water. I would be between waves and could not see the boats or shoreline. As the waves grew bigger it became a bit eerie every time I lost sight of anything but water.

I thought of Peter while I was out floating and I know that he felt the same but with much more intensity when he lost sight of Jesus while walking on the water.

At one point I had been so relaxed by the gentle rhythm of the ocean that I almost fell asleep. But that all changed with the rise and fall of the waves. They had my full attention as they grew bigger and my immediate thought was to get back to shore, to safety.

That was another field trip lesson. Sometimes I get very relaxed in my day to day rhythm. I enjoy routines and when my schedule is suddenly altered it creates havoc and my whole outlook changes. When Jesus plans an adventure for me it seldom fits in my daily routine, but it always creates moments of trust and learning something new. I don’t think that walking on water was part of Peter’s agenda for the day, but it was on Jesus’ schedule and with God, all things are possible.

In the story of Peter walking on water, the reason he took the chance was because Jesus was already there and invited Peter to join him. Matthew 14: 29-31 (TPT), “Come and join me,” Jesus replied. So Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus. But when he realized how high the waves were, he became frightened and started to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he cried out.

Did you notice that the waves didn’t suddenly appear? It said that Peter realized they were there after he had stepped out of the boat. The waves were not even a concern when he responded to the invitation to “Come and join me.” Jesus had invited him to have a great adventure with Him and He was going to take care of all the details.

Peter’s fear cut the adventure short and the Lord was ever gracious to him and “Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and lifted him up and said, “What little faith you have! Why would you let doubt win? And the very moment they both stepped into the boat, the raging wind ceased.”

Where do you think they would have walked if fear and doubt had not taken over that day? Would they have raced across the sea like in the movie The Shack? What great adventures are we missing out on because we let the rise and fall of life events create doubt and fear?

If Jesus says, “Come and join me!” We can trust that all the details are taken care of and a great adventure awaits.

My Prayer

Father, thank you for the many invitations to come and join You. Help us to dispel any doubts and fears and to fully trust that Your invitation also means that You are in complete control and You have something amazing in store for us. Help us keep our eyes on You and know that we are safe within Your reach at any given moment. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Where does my help come from?

Proverbs 3: 5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Matthew 19:6

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”