• by Sharon Amali
• May 18, 2021

It was getting dark. The disciples got into the boat, and pushed away from the land. The plan had been to get back across the water before it got dark. The Lord could see that it was the time to go. He was late. Maybe they cast a backward glance to see if their Lord was coming. They started to row. The wind was quite strong, coming right at them. They had to work faster. Put in some extra effort. If they had waited a moment longer, they guessed that they wouldn’t have been able to navigate the waters. They rowed harder. Four miles along and it looks like they are in the way of a storm. Beads of sweat are running down their faces. They are breathing hard.

Hours later and they are still in the same spot! Matt looks anxiously at his watch. A lone figure is coming toward them on the water. Peter wipes his eyes. He is not sure if it is sweat or sea water in his eyes, but it is playing tricks on him. Andrew is looking in the same direction. The silhouette turns into a clear outline of a man. And he is walking toward the boat - on the water! The Lord has prepared them for many things but never for this! The wind blows harder and the "ghost" draws closer – a man lets out a shriek. Peter’s heart jumps out of his chest. Someone darts from one side of the boat to the other, frantic, considering jumping into the water to escape the horror. A voice rings out. It is saying, “It is I; do not be afraid.” (verse 20) The voice is familiar. The man poised to jump stands still. Another slowly takes his hands away from his eyes. Peter rises to his feet. It is the Lord! The Bible says in the next verse (21), "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going."

Many times we want the Lord to be there exactly when we think He should be there. If we sense that He is ‘delaying’, we become nervous since it is too much for us to sit still. We want to keep busy because the wait is quite disturbing. The disciples figured that they had to do something so they rowed with all their might. They used all the effort and tricks they knew just to cross over to the other side and still they were on the same water into the wee hours. It was only when they let the Lord into their boat that they got to the other side. It is hard to kick out on your own. You need the Lord on your side, in the same "boat" with you, to make it with no struggle. Without Him all we manage is being disappointed and frustrated. The disciples worked with all their might but so did the wind! My point is, however small the task seems, we need to invite the LORD into it. Only when we let Him in, and let Him have His way - even when it feels painful to let Him - shall we find ourselves in the place we’ve been hoping to be this whole time.