Reaching down to take hold of us

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of the deep waters." - Psalm 18:16

These words from David immediately reminded me of the incident in the Gospels where Jesus reaches down to Peter and rescues him from drowning. What started out as a moment of courageous faith for Peter, turns into a desperate plea for help. Jesus obliges and reaches out to help Peter but uses the incident to remind him to lean fully into the power of Christ. 

"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 14:30-31

As we take steps of faith today, let us not be afraid of failing - Jesus is with us all the way and he will reach down and help us up when we get in over our heads.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

We need time to recharge the motors!

With all of the latest load-shedding (in South Africa) I have noticed that our gate motors don't have the necessary time to recharge their batteries. Previously, it would have been fine, but now that we are on level 6 load-shedding, there is no time for them to get back to full power.

The obvious connection with our emotion and spiritual batteries is there for us to note. If we don't take the time to recharge our batteries, we will eventually come to a stand still. Jesus reminds us all of this important principal when he takes time to rest and recharge.

Matthew 14:23 - After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone...

Living in Grace

D3LM3

P.S. I will be taking a few days to 'practise what I preach', so I won't be sharing blogs for a few days :) 

What is Jesus doing while you go through your storm?

“For the people of the promise, Jesus is praying. The midst of your storm, he is praying for you.” - Max Lucado

I found these words very comforting this week. As you read them, I invite you to also read this passage from Matthew 14.

"As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.

Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared to death. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror.

But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.” (v.22-27)

Hold onto this thought as you start a new week.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Guidance and the willingness to act

“Do not ask God for guidance if you aren’t willing to move your feet.” - Anon

So often we are guilty of asking God for the necessary guidance, but then we expect God to airlift us to the finish line. However, this requires no act of faith on our behalf. God may give us the goal, the direction, the guidance, but God expects us to move our feet. 

Matthew 14:28-29 - “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.

The first step is usually the hardest to take, but from then on, just move one foot in front of the other.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

14 - In the Chaos

It would be remiss of me not to speak into the Corona Virus situation, although I will leave all the medical advice to the experts. As you may have been aware I have chosen to reflect on Matthew's gospel during Lent and today's reading brings us to chapter 14. In this chapter, we note how Jesus is confronted by 3 very hectic situations, each demanding it's own set of troubles.

The first one (Matthew 14:1-12) involved Jesus having to hear the news of John the Baptist being beheaded - it was John's discples who brought the tragic news to Jesus.

In trying to get away from the crowds in order to pray and process this news, Jesus is then swamped by 5000 people all needing help (Matthew 14:13-21). Jesus then feeds them with the 5 loaves and 2 fish, reminding us that God supplies all our needs - physical and spiritual.

The third incident involves the disciples trapped in their boat in the midst of a huge storm. Jesus comes to them in their trouble, fear and doubt and he says these words:

^"But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” - Matthew 14:27

I can think of no better word for the present crisis in our world than these words of Christ.

Take Courage!
It is I.
Don't be afraid.

Living in Grace
D3LM3