We have all heard the story of Jesus walking on water and how Peter tried to join him….I was recently reading through this portion in Matthew 14, when the Lord revealed to me something quite interesting about the whole episode. We need to understand that the men on the boat were Jesus’ disciples. These men walked, ate and slept wherever Jesus did, they were practically Jesus’ shadows. No one could have known Jesus better than them. And yet, when they saw Jesus doing something as incredible as walking on the water, they did not recognize Him, they thought it was a ghost! They were unnerved by it! Jesus had to pacify them and tell them not to be afraid, that it was He!
Are we not like this in many areas of our life? When Jesus is doing something amazing or beginning an amazing work in our lives, the change is so unnerving and uncomfortable, we start being afraid, thinking how this is going to turn out! We worry about what is happening and focus so much on the changes that are happening in our lives that we cannot see that it is Jesus behind it. We have difficulty trusting God, as many a times we fail to see His hand at work in our lives, simply because we are distracted by doubt. What we need to remember here is that although walking on water is absolutely incredible, instead of astonishment and awe, the first emotions the disciples experience is fear! Is this how we look at the work of God in our lives as well? Do we wonder with fear about what the outcome is going to be or do we know in faith that God is doing something amazing, whatever it will be?!
We see in Matthew 14: 28: "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
What’s funny here is that, Peter says this after Jesus already tells them not to be afraid, that it’s Him! Again, this is such a familiar scenario for us, how many times have we had situations where God reveals to us through his servants or His word, that He is working through our problems or that it is according to His will, but we are unwilling to listen to this! We are still not convinced!
Now of course, we know Jesus calls Peter to come and Peter starts walking. Peter sees the winds around him, he starts doubting WHAT JESUS CALLED HIM TO DO! Wow! This is the one incident of Jesus and the disciples where I am amazed at how much Peter doubted! So now we see that Peter first doubted when he saw Jesus doing something amazing like walking on water, then he doubted even after Jesus tells them not to be afraid and reveals himself, then again Peter doubts after Jesus calls him to walk on the water to Him. That really is aloooooot of doubting for a disciple!
Aren’t we like this? Do we not doubt the work of God in our lives simply because it is not obvious to our earthly eyes?
The best part can be seen in v.31: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
If Jesus had to reach out his hand and catch Peter, then Peter obviously began to sink within Jesus’ reach. Look at that! Peter began doubting when he was an arm’s distance to Jesus, he could see Jesus face, he could see Jesus standing on the water reaching out to him, but HE STILL DOUBTED! How sad that was! How disappointed Jesus would have been with Peter!
Many a times, we start doubting and sinking into the depths of worry even when Jesus is only an arm’s distance from us! Why? As Jesus says, because we doubt, because we cannot trust God despite the signs, the promises or even the provision He gives us!
If Peter had not doubted that day, the world would today know the story of two people who walked on water, Jesus and Peter! Instead, Peter is remembered as the one who sank! In our lives also, believing in God’s faithfulness and trusting Him, despite the odds can make the difference between receiving the blessing God has for us or missing it by an arm’s length because of doubt!
Let us pray to the Lord to give us the faith we need to see His loving hands behind the unusual circumstances that arise in our lives, so that we can trust Him to help us receive the blessings at the end of it!
I’d like to put up a recipe for something sweet today!
Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
Bread – 6 slices
Butter – as required
Eggs – 4
Sugar – ¾ cup
Milk – 2 cups
Salt – a pinch
Vanilla Essence – 1 teaspoon
Powdered Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon (Optional)
For Butterscotch sauce:
Sugar – ¼ cup
Cream – 250gms
Butter – 50gms
Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2.Spread butter over the bread slices and cut them into small squares.
3.In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, milk, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Now add the bread squares to this and push the bread pieces down till they have absorbed the milk mixture.
4.Pour this mixture into a buttered or oiled baking dish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then remove the tin foil and bake for 10 minutes, till the top is slightly browned. The pudding is done when the top appears springy, when pushed down.
5.For the sauce, in a saucepan, melt butter, add the sugar and stir for 5 minutes, then add cream and continue stirring till all the sugar has dissolved into the cream and turn off flame. If the sauce is not sweet enough, add more sugar according to your taste.
6.When serving the bread pudding, pour some of the warm butterscotch sauce over it.
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