Jesus, are you serious?! (by Rachael)

Jesus tells the disciples to go get in the boat and go to the other side without Him.  In the middle of the sea, a storm overtakes them.... (Matthew 14:22-33)

It is interesting to note that the disciples definitely did not expect Jesus to show up…on the water…in the middle of the storm.  Even though it was Jesus Himself who made them get in the boat and cross to the other side.  Everything was against them – they were beaten by the wind and the waves were against them.  Jesus knew He was sending them into a storm.  And Jesus knew He was going to show up in the most unexpected, miraculous way.  But they didn’t.  They were not looking for Him there.  They didn’t know that side of Jesus yet.  They didn’t know He was capable of that yet, for they had not experienced it yet.  So when their miracle showed up, when their salvation from the storm appeared, they did not see it as a relief.  They did not see Him and say, “Oh, Hey, Jesus! There You are.  Come on in.”  Instead, they were panic-stricken.  They cried out in fear.  As if the scary storm, beating relentlessly against them wasn’t enough.  I’m sure they never saw a ghost before.  But at this point, things in the boat were so bad, that when their help finally came, not only did they not recognize it, but all their superstitions seemed proven true: Ghosts are real and spirits can show up in our world to haunt us.  How terrifying.  “As if things couldn’t have gotten any worse,” they must have been thinking. 

Then Jesus speaks immediately: “Take heart; it is I.  Don’t be afraid.”

Is there a storm in your life?  You were sure that Jesus told you to “get in the boat and go to the other side.”  But now, despite your obedience, the situation now seams bleak.  The wind is beating hard and the waves are against you.  Oh so many waves, such big waves.  Such a storm. 

We all have these storms, even in our obedience…especially in our obedience.  Yet, sometimes it is the actual plan of God to send you into a storm, so that He has the opportunity to show up in a way you least expect it, so that you can know another-other side of Him. 

Are we looking for Him?  Will we watch for Him through the wind and the waves? 

Maybe He will show up on the water.

Maybe He will calm the storm before you even get to the other side. 

But maybe He won’t.  Maybe He will quietly guide the boat to the other side, even though the storm rages on.

But then, once the disciples realized it was Jesus, one of them cries out saying, “If it’s You, then tell me to come…”  Tell me to get out of the boat and come to You, Jesus.  And He does.  Sometimes in our storm, Jesus calls us to do even more of the impossible, and actually GET OUT of the boat… in the middle of the boisterous squalls and howling wind. 

How much easier of a miracle it would have seemed----as if miracles could be rated on an ease-to-difficulty scale…only in our human understanding----

How much easier of a miracle if: Jesus was already with them in the boat.  It was a beautiful calm day on the water.  Then Jesus says, “Hey guys, watch this!” And grabbing hold of the side of the boat, kicks his heels up and leaps out of the boat and onto the water.  They might have all jumped out and danced around on that still surface with Jesus.  And what a miracle it would have been!  But no, Jesus orchestrates the odds to be ever against us.  And THEN … THEN …He calls us out of the boat and onto the water, where we would not ever have expected Him to show up in the first place. 

As if I'm not ALREADY going through enough, we say.  I didn't think anything ELSE could go wrong, we whimper.  But what a side of Jesus we now know.  And had we not been in these dire of circumstances, we would have never known Him this way. 

But now that you know it is Jesus standing there, undaunted by the sea billows, do not doubt.  No need to sink.  But even if you do, Jesus is still standing there to grab your hand.
Looking to Jesus, looking into His eyes, so full of assurance and confidence, why should we doubt?