And they cried out for fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
The Sea of Galilee is actually a rather small lake (only thirteen by eight miles) which is almost completely surrounded by mountains. When the
northern winds are funneled through the mountain peaks, they sweep violently across the lake, causing fierce waves. It was in the midst of such a violent storm that Christ Our Savior manifested His power to the disciples by walking on the water.
Just prior to this event, Jesus had performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. One would think that the disciples, having just seen this demonstration of Jesus’ power, would have been confident that Jesus surely could save them from the fury of the storm. Like them, we too tend to forget or misunderstand the significance of Jesus’ work in our lives.
In this incident, Peter’s faith was both tested and strengthened; he experienced the trials and growth of a true disciple of Christ. Having seen the power of Our Lord’s words and actions, Peter put his faith in him and began to walk across the waves toward Jesus (Matthew 14:29).
By stepping out of the boat at the Lord’s invitation, Peter demonstrated at least some degree of realization that Jesus was the Messiah. Even when his faith faltered and he began to sink, it was still to Jesus that he cried out: “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30). After the Lord had returned Peter to the safety of the boat, all the disciples worshipped Jesus in awe saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).
Day after day, we are confronted with situations which put our faith in the Son of God to the test. Perhaps there has been a sudden death in the family, an unexpected financial burden, or some other crisis in the family that seems too hard to bear. At times like these, our faith may falter; we can doubt that God cares for us or even that he exists. Yet it is in these very situations that our faith can be strengthened by calling out to Christ Our Savior.
The Sea of Galilee is actually a rather small lake (only thirteen by eight miles) which is almost completely surrounded by mountains. When the
northern winds are funneled through the mountain peaks, they sweep violently across the lake, causing fierce waves. It was in the midst of such a violent storm that Christ Our Savior manifested His power to the disciples by walking on the water.
Just prior to this event, Jesus had performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. One would think that the disciples, having just seen this demonstration of Jesus’ power, would have been confident that Jesus surely could save them from the fury of the storm. Like them, we too tend to forget or misunderstand the significance of Jesus’ work in our lives.
In this incident, Peter’s faith was both tested and strengthened; he experienced the trials and growth of a true disciple of Christ. Having seen the power of Our Lord’s words and actions, Peter put his faith in him and began to walk across the waves toward Jesus (Matthew 14:29).
By stepping out of the boat at the Lord’s invitation, Peter demonstrated at least some degree of realization that Jesus was the Messiah. Even when his faith faltered and he began to sink, it was still to Jesus that he cried out: “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30). After the Lord had returned Peter to the safety of the boat, all the disciples worshipped Jesus in awe saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).
Day after day, we are confronted with situations which put our faith in the Son of God to the test. Perhaps there has been a sudden death in the family, an unexpected financial burden, or some other crisis in the family that seems too hard to bear. At times like these, our faith may falter; we can doubt that God cares for us or even that he exists. Yet it is in these very situations that our faith can be strengthened by calling out to Christ Our Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment