April 20, 2022 - Matthew 14: 22, 24-27

“…Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”” Matthew 14: 22, 24-27 NLT

Jesus, in the chaos of the storm and in the extremely unlikely way you arrived, the disciples didn’t recognize that it was you walking on the water. Lord, how often do we not recognize you moving around us because we are not paying attention and are caught up in the “storms” of life. Or we don’t recognize you because you move in an unlikely way that we don’t see as being you. The thought of missing you breaks our hearts. We never want to miss you. Open our eyes to see you more clearly.

Lord, have we placed you in a “box” and refuse to see you moving outside of it? We don’t want to limit you and try to keep you inside of our comfort zone. What kind of God would you be if you were limited to what we are comfortable with? We don’t want you to be limited by what our minds can comprehend or are comfortable with. Show us any places we have done this. Forgive us. Break our boxes apart and become more in our lives.

Lord, we want to know you so intimately. We all have a friend that we know when they have arrived in a crowded room because we can recognize their voice through the noise, or we can sense their presence in the room. We want to know you like that. When you show up, we want to immediately be able to seek you out even through the noise and chaos. Grow our relationship to that level.

In Jesus name, amen.