Matthew 14
Bible Passage: Matthew 14
The sky was dark
And the ship was tossed
And it seemed to them
That all was lost
Dear Jesus,
where are You? The storm is becoming stronger and we fear for our lives. Are we going to drown? Will we see You again? And what is that thing coming towards us on the water? Why is this happening to us? Oh Lord, where are You?
Frantically, your disciples
Then Jesus appeared,
And Peter stepped out
When he sank
Jesus lifted him out of his doubt
Dear Peter,
You must have been frightened by the storms as well but I’m so glad you had the faith to step out of the boat and walk towards Me. Remember, keep your eyes on Me and have faith. I’m always here and I’ll never let you go under.
Faithfully, Jesus
Saying –
Come unto Me
I’ve strength for your labour
Come unto Me
I’ve rest for your soul
Dear Jesus,
we’re tired and weary. We’ve been persecuted from all sides; mocked and scorned by the gentiles and rejected by our own countrymen. For Your Name’s sake, we’re hated by all. Please help us.
Wearily, your believers
Come unto Me
I stand to receive you
All you must do, child
Is come unto Me
Dear beloved,
take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Persevere till the end and follow faithfully in my footsteps; eternal life and a crown of glory awaits you.
Compassionately, Jesus
When skies are dark
And your life is tossed
And it seems all you’ve worked for
Will soon be lost
Dear Jesus,
Where are You? Can’t you see that nothing is going right in my life? Why aren’t you helping me? I feel like such a failure, Lord. Where are you?
Miserably, me
Then just look to the Lord
In faith stepping out
He will lift you like Peter
Removing all doubt
Dear child,
I’m here; just standing outside the door of your heart. Let Me in! I can help you through all these storms and give you strength to make things right. My hand is reaching towards you. Please, take it.
Urgently, Jesus
Saying –
Come unto Me
I’ve strength for your labour
Come unto Me
I’ve rest for your soul
Dear Jesus,
I think I’m going to drown. There’s just too much to be done! Help me!
Desperately, me
Come unto Me
I stand to receive you
All you must do, child
Is come unto Me
Dear child,
You’re going too fast and trying to achieve too much. Slow down, go to a deserted place and talk with me. There’s much work to be done and you can’t do it alone; you need strength and I’m that strength you need. Awaiting you…
Patiently, Jesus
All you must do child
Is come unto Me
Come unto Me
All you must do, child
Is come unto Me
Love, Jesus
6 Comments
biblereadingcompanion
As I read today’s chapter, I could not help wondering… are we too selfish with our faith?
A lot of Christianity that has been taught to us dwells on our own individual spirituality – prayers, bible reading, personal quiet time, self examination, confession and repentance, pursuit of personal holiness, individual good deed etc.
All this is very good as we seek a personal relationship with Christ.
But what about the public side of our faith? What do I mean by this?
When I read Matt 14:13-14…
“When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
I was deeply moved by His compassion for the people.
Jesus behaved exactly the same as when he was with His disciples, His own Jewish people and the Gentiles.
Jesus actively engaged with the public. He focused His work on the cities (cf. Matt 9:35). He interacted with its leaders. He welcomed the crowds (as seen from the verse I quoted above). He particularly reached out to the poor – not only the poor financially but the ‘poor in spirit’, those left behind, those without hope.
What I see is Jesus affecting not only our private lives but also our public lives as well.
This is very much lacking in what I am today.
I am pretty much only concerned with my own faith and matters of faith of my family and friends in church… but there is a great field out there in the public that I definitely lack the compassion of Jesus for….
I must remember that I am no longer simply an individual… but am made part of a “royal priesthood” and a “holy nation”. Out of those who were once “no people”, we are now “the people of God” (1 Pet 2:9-10).
I need to discover how to live out my faith in visible public ways so that we can impact the world like Jesus did.
It starts with the heart of compassion. And this heart must reach far and wide.
After a hiatus of some weeks, we restarted our Door to Door a couple of days ago. Before setting off, I was suddenly overwhelmed by how much I have let the Lord down in not doing this work responsibly. So many lapses and things left half done….
Then I thought about our readings of Matthew and all the other books we have done so far this year….
Isn’t it evident what we MUST do?
Jesus gave His ALL in bringing the good news to the people. Paul did so too. So did the other apostles and other countless faithful disciples.
Why can’t I?
Maybe what I lack is compassion for the people. 🙁
(:
Thank you aquillofGod. Thanks for the reminder. These questions really describes the current situation.
“Dear Jesus,
Where are You? Can’t you see that nothing is going right in my life? Why aren’t you helping me? I feel like such a failure, Lord. Where are you?
Miserably, me
Dear Jesus,
I think I’m going to drown. There’s just too much to be done! Help me!
Desperately, me”
biblereadingcompanion
Hi (:,
I am not sure what you are going through right now in your life but one thing I know… God is watching over His children (of which you are one)….
And someone is praying for you…
A song or hymn never fails to lift my spirits when I feel down and out. Although I have share this song not so long ago, when I read your words, this song immediately came to mind.
And may the words of this hymn comfort and strengthen you…. and keeping you in prayers…
BRC's Companion
Dear (:,
When I was a young Christian, there were many times in my life that I felt drowned and God was distant. There was always a constant internal tussle with the things of the world and things of God. Needless to say, the world won me over mostly as I compromised on my relationship with God. Though there were achievements in the pursuit, there were much woes in the heart, mind and spirit. When we know what is right but does not submit our will to do it, nothing we do will come to fruition.
In retrospect, those were God’s way of helping me to experience life’s hard lessons through my own choices and to willingly focus all my senses on Him. God never forces His will upon us. He kept pace to pick up the broken pieces when I crumbled under the weight of my weakness. And then embraced me with His strength and hope. Like the image in “footprints on the sand”, He lovingly carried me through all those years of struggle.
Would like to share the following which I received through email every Wednesday, perhaps you did receive one too…
“The Chosen Way
In our daily lives, we encounter many occasions when we have to make decisions. We have to decide which items to buy in a store, where to go for college, what major to declare, what profession to choose, and what motions to pass in a meeting. But let us realize that no decision is completely up to us, nor does everything always work according to our wishes.
Choice implies freewill, and anyone of us may use our God-given freewill to choose what we think are the best options. Making our own choices in life can be painful, for we must take responsibility for the choices we make, not only in relation to ourselves but also to others. We can be like travelers who wander at the crossroads of life. But as Christians, we are fortunate to have a God who knows everything that lies ahead of us, including the best direction for us.
At Shunem (1 Sam 28), the Philistines assembled and set up their camp to fight the Israelites. Saul, the king of Israel, saw the Philistine army and terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord for the outcome, but the God of Israel did not answer him. In desperation, Saul consulted a witch at Endor and asked her to call up Samuel’s spirit so that he might receive some revelation.
In 1 Samuel 29, the Amalekites raided Ziklag and took captive all who were in it, both young and old. David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?” The Lord answered, “Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” David pursued the enemy, overtook them, and delivered the captives (1 Sam 30:1–2, 8–9, 18).
Because Saul rebelled against God, God no longer answered him, nor guided his decisions. But David feared God; therefore God showed him the way he should go. By comparing these two biblical examples, we can learn from Saul’s mistakes and David’s virtues. When we entrust our lives to God and fear Him, we gain a clearer perspective of the way God wants us to travel in all circumstances.”
Without God’s perspective, He knows we always end up in frustration, confusion or destruction. Hence, He wants us to see that our life has to be centered around communion with Him.
“Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Ps 96:6. In God’s presence, we can pray to receive strength to go on, strength to resist, to persist.
God’s peace and love be with you.
appleofHiseye
Dear aquillofGod,
Thank you for the insightful sharing. It made me think differently about how we can relate to Peter’s despair, doubt, and desperateness in that moment when he thought he was going to drown. And in that moment it reflected Peter’s faith, because he completely relied on Jesus as he uttered three words, “Lord, save me!”
I hope my faith is anchored on Jesus…
PS
i like the story of Peter walking on the sea.
Whenever i read it, i add a bit of imagination:
Wind howling.
Peter (shout): “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
Lord Jesus (shout): “Come.”
But when Peter saw the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Lord Jesus glided on water to Peter, stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him ,” O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Before i start on a small piece of work for Lord Jesus. He is far away. i shout, “Lord, can i try this for You?”
Lord Jesus replies, “Yes.”
i didn’t hear him. i heard only the howling wind.
Lord Jesus shouts again, “Yes!”
i take a tiny step, venturing out of my comfort zone.
Then i remember that i m walking. i forget that it is the Lord who has made the surface stable for me to place my step.
i shout for my God as i sink.
Miraculously Lord Jesus is by my side, instantaneously, catching hold of me.
Lord Jesus is always near and always here, as long as i m facing Him and His word. No doubt.