Scripture Readings: Psalm 105:1-5 & Matthew 14:22-33
Psalm 105 invites us to worship God through ten imperatives. The first, give thanks to the LORD, exhorts all to acknowledge the goodness of God by expressing gratitude to him. Second, calling on his name calls all believers to lift up their hearts and voices and magnify God’s name in praise. Third, they should make known God’s mighty deeds to the whole world.
Today’s text calls us to tell of what he has done in history among people throughout the earth. Fourth, God’s people are to sing praises to God, who alone is worthy. Fifth, they should tell of all his wonderful acts. Sixth, all saints should glory in God’s holy name. Seventh, they should rejoice in him. Eighth, all believers should look to the Lord and observe his great strength, a power that presides over all. Ninth, they should seek his face. Tenth, God’s people are urged to remember the great things that the Lord has done. May we remember all these imperatives and replay them in our memories.
This psalm records God’s unbroken faithfulness toward his people. We praised God and gave thanks and glory to God together through Hymn Service last Sunday. I pray that the life of praising the Lord who died and rose again for us can continue in our daily lives.
In Matthew 14, as soon as the miraculous feeding was completed, Jesus ordered his disciples back into the boat to continue their journey. Jesus must have had to work hard at protecting time to pray because he was so popular and so much in demand, privacy was rare for him. However, Jesus went up on a mountainside for conversation with his Father.
The disciples were having some difficulty making the journey that cut across the lake due to winds and waves. They were fighting contrary winds and had to row a considerable distance from land. They were terrified and cried out in fear.
In today’s text, Jesus went out to them and walked on the water. When he arrived at the boat, walking above the waves, Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus commanded Peter, Come. Peter was able to let go of his fear, jumped ship, trusting in Jesus. Peter steps out of the boat in faith and in faithfulness. However, it was for a moment. When he turned again to winds and waves, he found himself in the water once more. Peter called out with the expression of faith: Lord, save me!
The day before, it would have never occurred to Peter to try walking on the waves in a storm, but Jesus has given him the faith to believe that it might be possible. When Peter sank in the water in his little faith, Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. When Peter called the Lord, Jesus heard and saved him.
Jesus hears people’s simple, humble, helpless cry “Lord, help!” If we call God for help, knowing well the poverty of our faith, then God will hear and save us. Faith is given to us as a gift. Even when we fail to hold onto that gift and begin to sink, Jesus is more than ready to immediately reach out and save us.
For those first disciples in their boat, Jesus was not with them when the storm hit, but Jesus was coming to his disciples. For us, it sometimes feels as though we have left Jesus behind in our lives somewhere. However, Jesus is surely somewhere back there, even when the storms hit our little boat. Jesus lives within us, even when he is not physically with us.
When they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him. In Christ, with these first disciples, our brothers and sisters, we are all in the same boat together. Jesus lifts us up and returns us to the boat when necessary. May we join our voices in worshipping God and praising the Lord.
We live in a world that is constantly tossed by unexpected storms of chaos and violence and hatred. There has been wave after wave of the same thing in the world. The storm rages on and on. But Jesus comes towards us, walking on the waves, proving that it is possible. Jesus deliberately steps into the middle of the storm and loves everybody and hates nobody and accompanies his disciples and believers. And Jesus shows us that God’s love can hold us safe and joyously alive, even when all the world turns its fearful anxiety on us.
In Matthew 14, both Peter and the water obeyed the Messiah-King, and Peter walked toward Jesus on the water. Before Jesus came to the boat, he had spent the night with God in prayer. He used this solitude for conversation with his Father. In Christ, disaster turns to promise, fear turns to joy. Focusing on the presence of Jesus dispels the fear. In Matthew’s story, Jesus tells his disciples, “Take courage, it is I, and don’t be afraid.”
We are not immune from the fears and concerns we face, but when we are with Jesus in our faith, we will experience peace even in the waves. Jesus is unafraid of the wind and the waves. He is not troubled by the chaos all around. He appears to walk straight through it. Jesus is among us. He is still overflowing with life and love and mercy and walking calmly over the storms of hatred and fear. And for our salvation, he showed his life-giving love. May we trust in Jesus who died and rose again, letting go of our fears.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” God honours Peter’s little faith and our baby steps of faith and leads us to faith growth. In Christ, we have the opportunities for growth and transformation even within trials. Jesus hears our simple, humble, helpless cry “Lord, help!” With deeper faith, may we always pray to God, sing to the Lord, give thanks to God, and glory in His name.
Solitude and prayer are essential to a vibrant spiritual life. Just like Jesus, may we take time to pray to God. When we are in the boat with the Lord or out of the boat with more steps towards Jesus, may we look at the Lord who accompanies us and listen to the voice of the Lord who comforts and gives us strength.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)
Today, may we hear the voice of Jesus in our faith in the crucified and risen one: Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid. We are all witnesses to this voice of Jesus. May we remember Jesus’ statements of comfort and encouragement as his witnesses and disciples. May we also pray for the courage to be faithful to the Lord and seek God in all circumstances.