And then the Winds Died Down

This week’s Gospel reading in the Revised Common Lectionary is about Jesus walking on the water and inviting to join him out on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). This is a very familiar story, but what stood out to me is what happened when Jesus and Peter got back into the boat. The wind died down.

path going toward the beachThis week my family and I went camping near the ocean. This kind of camping bring its own set of challenges, one of which is the wind. Just last night the wind came up in strong gusts, pulling out our tent pegs and almost flipping over the boys tent! We were fortunate that as the evening wore on, the wind eased up, and we were able to sleep without fear of being woken up with a collapsing tent.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations in which the circumstances are not in our favor. There are also time that Jesus will call us out deeper into the chaos and uncertainty. One thing we know from this story is that Jesus will meet us there and even rescue us if he needs to. The storm didn’t cease until Peter got back in the boat bringing Jesus with him.

Why did the wind die down? The story doesn’t tell us. Maybe Jesus spoke to the elements. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe the winds just eased up, and they only noticed it after they took their eyes off of the circumstances and focused their attentions on Jesus.

My opinion is that God is more concerned with the climate of our hearts than that of our surroundings. I also believe that when we walk with Jesus, inviting him into our situations, the storms that were overwhelming us somehow become more manageable. I’m not sure how this works, but our perspective does seem to change when we realize that we are not alone.

Grace and peace,
Brook

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About Brook Fonceca

I’m a coffee snob, theology nerd, father of five, associate pastor, and acoustic guitar hack. The articles on this blog are some of my thoughts on God, church, theology, spirituality, and at times, coffee. The posts usually arrive in the form of newsletter devotionals.

2 thoughts on “And then the Winds Died Down

    1. brookfonceca Post author

      Thank you, Susan. I read your post for this week’s Lectionary reading and appreciate your concluding statement to “have the courage to examine how we present ourselves to the world as Christians,” because we may never get a second chance to make things right. Good words.

      Reply

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