Moses and Jesus were out hiking and came to a lake.
Instead of walking around the lake, Moses parts the water and walks across.
The lake closes before Jesus can cross. No problem,
He’ll just walk on the water. He steps out and sinks. He cries out what happened? Moses answered, “It might be the holes in your feet.”
That joke is so wrong.
For most in the world, God is hidden and
mysterious. People look for God in the powerful things of the world.
Elijah looked for God in the wind,
earthquakes, and fire. But, God was not there.
We look for love and God in all the
wrong places…,
Looking in the big or powerful things...,
Looking in miracles, cures, and life
altering events…,
God is there, but….
God comes to most in the quiet. Many encounter God in
an inner experience of God’s mercy. Even Jesus went to the
quiet of the mountain top to pray.
God speaks to the quiet of our hearts in times of
crisis. That quiet is the place of miracles.
Psalm’s speaks that the
presence of God is where kindness and truth kiss; it’s the place of quite
truth and gentleness in our hearts, the abode of your conscience.
For the apostle Paul, speaking the truth of
Christ is when conscience joins with the Holy Spirit. It’s where Jesus walks on water and calls out to
us to take his hand and walk with him. Nothing is more solid and truthful in the
heart and soul than that. Nothing is more powerful.
The disciple learned this out
in a boat being tossed about by the waves and wind. Powerful things, but
God was not there. They had left Jesus behind.
It is the same way in our lives. God is not in the
powerful and destructive things that come upon us. Illness, cancer, disease,
suffering, crimes, violence, war, chaos and crisis are not God.
The reality of our lives is that chaos and crisis
throw us about. Our truth is injury, fear, and worry from the difficulties in
life like the wind, waves, and darkness faced by the disciples. We wonder if we
will survive. We huddle in our self. We cower in our boat because we left Jesus
behind.
God comes in the quietness of Jesus walking on the
water. If we look for him, Jesus will come in middle of all that is causing our
problems.
We trust Jesus just like Peter; but like Peter, we are
of little faith. It is not that we don’t have faith God can take away our
suffering. It’s not we don’t have faith the Christ is holding out his hand,
reaching to us.
The problem is that the wind, earthquake, and fire of
Elijah cause suffering. We look to see God in problems but God is not there. And
the loudness of chaos and crisis overwhelm us. We sink.
God is in the quietness. When that quietness comes,
we fail to leave the perceived safety and step out of our boat for the mercy of
God. Our little faith fails to open us to all God wishes to pour into our
hearts.
Christian believers, God pours all into our hearts by
the holes in the hands, feet, and side of Jesus.
Holes in his feet and He still walks on water.
He walks on the water bringing peace, calm, and
quiet during troubling times. Christ is the source of miracles against the
chaos and crisis of life. He brings the quiet peace of the Lord.
The ultimate miracle comes from that quiet place.
The miracle is we become a new person in communion
with God through Jesus Christ. Open our hearts and the Holy Spirit will pour out
all God wishes in truth and healing.
The inner experience of God’s mercy will drive that
miracle outward. Respond in a life giving way. Speak of Christ and proclaim His
gospel. Go out and make a difference. Live the Gospel in a way that can change
people.
Jesus walked on water and invites us to do the
same.
Yall be good, yall be holy and preach the gospel by
the way you live and love. Amen.
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