Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
- Matthew 14:22-33
Maybe you’ve been in this situation. You spend forever looking for your keys, phone, glasses, or some other small but essential item – pulling up couch cushions, examining the corners of kitchen cupboards, and generally looking places that in all likelihood it will never be. After all, if it was somewhere obvious you’d have seen it, right? Just when you’re about to give up someone else walks in and asks you what you’re looking for. You tell them. They glance around for a few seconds, and point to the counter behind you where *miraculously* the item has appeared. Ever been there? I certainly have.
We have this amazing ability to miss out on the things that are right in front of us. Scientists call it inattentional blindness. We tend to not see things we’re not looking for, and sometimes we miss the things we’re looking for because they’re not like we expected them to be. I don’t see the keys sitting on the kitchen counter because I expected them to be on a keychain, not sitting by themselves.
It’s not just glasses or keys that our inattentional blindness causes us to miss. I can’t help but wonder how often we miss out on seeing and experiencing God’s work and presence in our lives for the exact same reasons.
You’re probably familiar with the story of Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000. Matthew records that immediately after this happens Jesus sends his disciples out into their boats and tells them to cross the lake they were near. Jesus stays behind to dismiss the crowd, presumably healing some more sick people, answering questions, and the like. Apparently it takes him awhile, because in the middle of the night he decides he’s going to take a casual stroll across the lake to catch up with his disciples who are by now struggling against a strong wind and some fierce waves.
Despite the fact that they’d seen Jesus do plenty of miracles by this point, they certainly weren’t expecting him to walk on water to meet them, so when they finally notice this figure on the water in the middle of the stormy night their first thought isn’t “Wow! Jesus is amazing!” Instead, Matthew records that “they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear.” They were too focused on the struggle of crossing the lake and their old superstitions that they missed the fact that Jesus was the one coming to them. They didn’t expect Jesus to be present, so they didn’t see him. Instead they saw something that increased their fear.
Seeing Ghosts
How many times have you been in a challenging situation and seen something coming for you and expected a greater challenge or another trial rather than assuming it was God being present with you? Jesus promised his followers that he would always be with them. Instead of seeing ghosts we need to start opening our eyes to see the good hand of God at work. But what if we just can’t see it?
Hearing Jesus
The beautiful thing about Jesus is that he isn’t offended by our mistaken fear. When his disciples freak out in their boat thinking he’s a ghost he doesn’t berate them or decide to walk on his merry wave-top way. Instead he responds and comforts them; “immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
When all we’re seeing is chaos around us and ghosts of all sorts closing in, let’s not trust our eyes too much. Instead let’s listen to what Jesus has to say, and has said. “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” When fear is swamping you, cry out and listen for His response.
Stepping Out
It can be a dangerous thing when Jesus speaks. When God calls, we are to respond. Peter’s excited response is an archetype for us; “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Rather than asking for Jesus to do something Peter asks for Jesus to command something. That command calls Peter to overcome the fear of moments before and step out into the wild excitement of the miraculous.
To get closer to Jesus we often have to take the risk of walking in faith. To discover new experiences of God’s work in our lives, we must move into places we have yet to go.
Yes, Peter’s faith didn’t last long. He walked for a few steps then got distracted and sank, but Jesus was there. Jesus caught him, and out of this new experience of acting the miracle and encountering the savior, Peter and the other disciples overflow in worship, declaring, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
My friends, let’s not let our expectations cause us to miss Jesus’ presence. If you’re in the midst of chaos and struggling to make progress, odds are he’s walking towards you in the storm. Keep your eyes open, and if you’re having trouble seeing him, cry out and listen for his voice. He will respond. Then it’s your turn. Ask for a command. Obey. As you do so you’ll discover something amazing.
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