Above The Waves

God is so amazing! He just blows me away with how much He looks after us and is totally constant, never wavering in His love towards us. I’ve just been reading John 6:16 – 21 where Jesus walks on the water. What happens first is the disciples decide to get into a row boat and cross the sea towards Capernaum, then a strong wind arose which made the water really rough. All of a sudden, they see Jesus walking on the rough water! Can you imagine that? Jesus would have been just casually going for a walk up and down over the big waves – surely He has a sense of humor! He was probably thinking, “This will really freak them out!” And sure enough it did! Anyway, Jesus tells them not to panic, then they were fine, He got in the boat and then the boat was already at the place where they were all meant to be going to. Obviously the disciples knew where Jesus wanted them to go, but they didn’t wait for Him. They went when they thought it was time to go, they then got in trouble with the rough water. Like when God has called us to do something and we do it in our own strength or timing and don’t wait for His direction, we usually end up in trouble and have all sorts of problems. It’s in those times we need to look up and see Him walking above all our troubles and problems. They are all under His feet. He is in total control, we don’t have to worry, all we need to do is receive Him (like the disciples did in the boat) and let Him guide our way, in His timing. He will take us the right way and calm the storms in our lives. He knows the best way for us to take. After the disciples did receive Jesus, not only did the storm stop, but they were automatically at land and where they were meant to be. Most of the time, we want things to happen straight away with what God has called us to do, “How do I make things happen quicker?” (I know I can get pretty impatient at times!), but Jesus is WALKING. He doesn’t run across the water. He doesn’t see the disciples in trouble and think, “Quick! I have to go and save them!”, then race out there to get them. They actually made their own choice of rushing and going in their own time and as a result, found it was the wrong thing to do. They didn’t wait for His direction. The amazing thing is that Jesus knew exactly what they were doing (even before they did it!) and He was right there in their time of need, but the disciples had to look above the waves, above the troubles and problems. No matter how many times we rush things and do it our way, God is always there ready to calm our storms, even when it’s our own fault. He’s always there saying, “Look to me and don’t be afraid, don’t worry about what’s going on around you.” How awesome is He? Sometimes when we do do it our way and we’re not listening to God’s voice and direction, He draws away. Don’t get me wrong, He will never leave us, He just steps back a bit, which can make it a bit harder to hear His voice. He has created us with our own will and will never force His love onto us. He wants us to willingly love Him back and have a close intimacy with Him through our own will – not by force. As soon as we get back on track with what He has called us to do, make His will first, receive and walk in His kingdom again, He draws near to us and the storm just seems like a distant memory.