Thought for the Month - April 2019

"Oceans" by Barry Adair
(deepest waters)

Oceans are wonderful. My wife is well aware of my affinity with water and my desire to often head up to the North Coast (of Ireland) to walk along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. There is just something about the sea! The roar and power of the waves is hypnotic to me. There is also something eerie about the sheer might and energy of the roaring sea, its vastness and depth.

I'm not sure why oceans popped into my head as it's been a few months since my last seaside trip. But it may have been down to a song that I heard a few weeks ago. The Hillsong United song is entitled "Oceans" and is closely based on that time when Peter walked (briefly) on the water after being commanded by Jesus. I know that some criticize 'Hillsong' for their lyrics but this song took me straight to a stormy Sea of Galilee…

Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew 14:28-29)

Some see this passage in the book of Matthew as being a failure on Peter's part. In fact, when I was younger, I used to think the story had something of a disappointing ending. After all, Peter ended up shouting out to Jesus to save him as he began to sink into the stormy waters. Not only that, but Peter was then told off by Jesus for being "of little faith". But let's just think about this for a moment. Peter got out of a boat, in the middle of a stormy Sea of Galilee and walked on the water towards Jesus! OK, he may not have lasted long on top of the waves, but HE WALKED ON WATER!

There is so much to learn from this passage in Matthew chapter 14. But I just wanted to mention a couple of things here in our Thought for this month. The first thing to notice is divine power. From this story we see that Jesus was in total control of the waves, of the storm, of the boat, of Peter's safety and that of all the disciples. And the only reason Peter was able to walk those few steps on top of the waves was due to the command of Jesus - "come!". Without that command, Peter would have fallen at the very first step. And Jesus only had to take one step into the boat and the storm immediately stopped.

And the second thing to notice is human weakness. Although I'm now in awe of Peter taking that first step out of the boat and into the storm, he would have succumbed to the waves were it not for the timely intervention of Jesus. Peter and the disciples were in trouble in the midst of the waves, and, not for the first time, needed Jesus to rescue them.

Divine power and human weakness sum up God's and our makeup respectively. This is the order of Creator and creation. Mind you, in our world today, God is forgotten about and mankind has elevated himself to a place where God is simply not required. But of course, a time will come when God's order will be restored!

When Peter started to succumb to the waves, he shouted for Jesus to save him. And do you know what, even if you have ignored Jesus all your life, if you humbly seek Him for help and forgiveness, then He will be there for you!

He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)

There is nowhere where the love of God cannot reach one of His own…

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:9)

And, as a child of God, you are then kept safe for all eternity…

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. (Isaiah 43:2)

I talked about my love of the ocean and of its power, but also hinted at a slight fear there too. In biblical times, the ocean was something of a double-edged sword. It offered a plentiful source of food but fishermen often perished during fierce storms. Water has an inherent duality in relation to us, both as a giver of life but also as a taker of life, and this is reflected in many Bible verses.

We all will have to go through stormy times in our lives. But do we, like Peter, have Someone to call out to? When we are literally out of our depth, do we have Someone who will intervene? When we are in a life-threating situation, is there Someone who can help in a way that only our Creator can? Jesus Christ is that Someone!

His grace abounds in deepest waters. His hand will be our guide. We can always call upon His name. He will keep our eyes above the stormy waves.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. (Isaiah 43:2)

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So, I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
                                                 (Hillsong United)

And you can watch and listen to a great acoustic version of "Oceans" below.

 

Until next month (DV)…

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!