To Brave the Storm

Water:

I swim in it.
I drink it.
I splash through puddles in it.
I shower with it.
I kayak on it.
I play in it.
I dive under it.
I wash my hair with it.
I was baptized with it.
I dance in the rain in it.
But Jesus walked on it.

In all the ways that I'll experience water, I'll never experience it the way that Jesus did in Matthew 14. I'll never walk on it. And I'd wager that you'll never walk on it either. Only God incarnate holds such authority over the physical force of the substance of water that He can command it to hold solid beneath His holy feet and bear his weight as He walks across its surface.

For as long as I can remember, I've been absolutely captivated by the story of Jesus walking on water. In my mind there is something undeniably glorious about the utter control that Jesus exhibits over such a familiar force in that story.

Jesus's ability to walk on water is an undeniable demonstration of his divinity, but what He does with this ability is, to me, the most enchanting part of the story. Christ walks on water to go to His disciples who are in a boat that has been swept away from Jesus, "beaten by the waves" and losing a battle to strong "winds [that were] against them." He walks on water to His disciples who are unable to come to Him. I personally find great comfort in knowing that Christ went to his disciples while they were still at the mercy of the powers of the storm.

Too often in my own life, I feel the inexplicable need to pull my life together before I invite Jesus into the details. As a perfectionist I feel compelled to clean house and get everything in order before I feel justified in approaching the throne of grace. In the midst of life's storms, I feel the need to prove my worth, to take control and weather the storm, to make it back to shore before I can seek Jesus's hand. I know this is non-sensical, that my works will never earn me grace, but this perfectionist-bent is hardwired into my personality. And so, I find great comfort and encouragement in stories like this one, where Jesus, in his glorious godliness walks on water to meet his disciples who are caught at sea in the midst of the storm. He meets them where they are, not because of the immense skill they have demonstrated in dealing with the situation, or in proving themselves worthy. No, Christ goes to His disciples when they are in need of him simply because he loves them.

When he arrives at their boat, Jesus calms the fears of the disciples saying, "Take heart; It is I. Do not be afraid." The simple fact of his presence is enough to make everything okay. For there is no need to fear the storm when you have the king of the universe by your side. With Christ, not only is it safe to weather the crashing waves and howling winds from inside the boat, with Christ, we are equipped to fearlessly brave the storm (whatever it may be) face on.