Above All

“Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 

‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’

‘Come,’ he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord save me!’

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’”

-Matthew 14:28-30

The parable of Jesus walking on water is a powerful example of the almighty power of God.  The scene is a boat, filled with disciples, in the heart of a massive storm.  The waves are crashing upon them, the wind is howling, the rain is pouring, and the darkness surely heightens the fear gripping their hearts.  Then all of the sudden they see Jesus!  Not in a boat, not in a rescue plane, and no not on a floatee…they see him walking on the water!  I love that.  People talk of how celebs role up to parties in their stretch limos, Mercedes, Feraris, Mustangs…well they have nothing on Jesus.  He shows up, smack dab in the middle of a storm, walking on water; proving that He is greater than the waves, wind, rain, and darkness. 

This parable drives home the fact that Jesus is not just above the water, He’s above ALL.   He’s greater than all.  He can conquer all.  He can rise above all.  The crashing waves don’t faze him and the howling winds don’t shake him.  The rain doesn’t beat him down and the darkness definitely doesn’t drown out His hope.  He is the rock, the fortress, and the ultimate lighthouse during a storm.

This story came to life for me while competing in the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. at the Ultimate Training Camp (UTC).  Collegiate athletes, male and female from across the country, attend UTC to learn how to glorify God through sport.  While at camp, we studied 5 scriptural principles and how to apply them to sport.   The big event at camp was a 20 hour long S.P.E.C.I.A.L. which stands for:  Scriptural Principles + Exhaustion = Confidence In the Almighty Lord.  (Now that is a rock solid math equation).  Every athlete was placed on a team of 6/7 and we participated in 20 straight hours of competition.  Events such as tug of war, push ups, basketball, wall sits, a 3 mile obstacle course filled with insane physical exercises, sprints, and the list goes on and on.  We began at 5pm Wednesday and we finished at 1pm Thursday afternoon.  One of my teammates said it best upon finishing:  “my body’s destroyed but my soul’s ablaze!”

When my team got to the swimming pool, it was 11pm and we were 6 hours into the competition.  As we entered the water, quads were cramping from the constant sprinting across the field after Frisbees, arms were on fire after the never-ending pushups, and every single core muscle was burning thanks to the seemingly endless amount of tug-of-war matches.  But hearts were committed to relying on the strength in Christ.

One of our swimming sprints required every member to swim down and back holding a kick board in front of them.  As I waited in the water, an intern asked about my focal point.  Instantly this Matthew passage came to mind and I said, “that Jesus is above the water, the pain I’m feeling, everything.  He’s above all.”  With this thought playing through my head, I push off from the wall and began my swim.  Three quarters of the way down my quads suddenly seized up.  My mind went directly to the cement blocks I now had for legs and I wondered how I’m ever going to push past this pain.  My thoughts focused on the hurt in my legs and the fact that I'm not even half way done with this sprint!  After I touched the wall and turned to swim back, I saw the intern and our interaction rushed back to me.  In a split second my heart and mind were transformed.  They overflowed with joy that my God is above this pain, He’s above the hurt, and He’s above the difficulty of this task!  Through Him I can and will overcome.

It's not as if my pain and exhaustion magically went away; nope it was still very much present in my body.  However, I stopped focusing on the stuff bringing me down and relied wholeheartedly on God's capabilities.  Yes I am weak, but He is strong.  Because of His truths, I had renewed energy, strength, and determination and began kicking like crazy.  Did I feel the burn in my legs?  Of course, but I was consumed with joy knowing that this pain, exhaustion, and water will not stop me.  I absolutely love these moments where I think I’ve reached my physical limit and then God completely shatters it by unleashing His almighty power.

When Jesus was walking on water he invited Peter out on the waves too.  Read what happens when Peter put his trust in Jesus:  “[Peter] walked on the water and came toward Jesus” (Matt 14:29).  Peter legit walked on water!  Jesus showed not only that He can do all things, but also that “we can do all things through Him” (Phil 4:13).  What happened the moment Peter took his eyes off Jesus?  “When he saw the wind, he was afraid and, [began] to sink” (Matt 14:30).  When I lost sight of my focal point and began to worry about the pain in my legs, I slowed down and began to sink.  But the second I saw that intern, I was brought back to my focal point:  Jesus is above all.

A pastor once said, “there are 3 people in this world: 

1.      people going into a storm

2.      people in a storm

3.      people coming out of a storm and heading right back into one

What are the storms in your life?  What is your focal point?  Are you staring at the storm or staring at the beacon of light, hope, strength, perseverance, and security?  Who will be the intern for you to remind you of your focal point?  Is your mind powered by the storm (my legs are on fire, how can I do this) or by Jesus (Jesus is above this pain, I can do this through Him)?

This passage starts by saying “Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake” (Matthew 14:25).  God never once leaves us alone.  Jesus saw the boat tossed from side to side.  He saw the waves crash around them.  He heard the wind roar and the rain hammer down.  He felt the fear the disciples felt.  So Jesus went to them.  Jesus sees us and He comes to us.

I pray that we see Jesus walking next to us in our storms.  I pray we focus our gaze on the God who is above every single physical pain, broken relationship, and sickness.  I pray we put our faith in Jesus and experience the power of walking above it all with Him.

Strength in Christ.

G.I.G.I.