Friday, 27 Aug 2021
That Sinking Feeling
By: Sally Cheong
Matthew 14:30
” Lord, save me!”
These are extraordinary times.
Many are losing hope. Even among people of the faith. It’s that sinking feeling. Some like Peter are afraid of what is happening to their lives and to their children.
Peter’s cry was ” Lord, save me! ” when he started to sink. What made Peter lose control? Why was his faith suddenly gone?
The wind
It was the wind. Peter was a fisherman and he knew a lot about winds. The Sea of Galilee was known for violent storms because of its low-lying position in the rift valley. When Peter saw the wind, he was terrified. It was a harbinger of a rude tempest that was brewing. His faith left him. But his Master did not. So Peter cried out, ” Lord, save me! “
Immediately Jesus reached out and caught Peter by His Hand. What the Lord said to Peter is what all of us need to hear today in these troublous times. Jesus said, ” you of little faith, why did you doubt? “
None of the other disciples had the little faith of Peter to step out of the boat when the Master said, ” come .” They must have been stunned when Peter actually left the boat. All common sense and human understanding told them that death by drowning was a real possibility. And even more stupefied they were when they saw Peter walking on water!
Yet none of the eleven attempted the feat. They saw the wind. The boat was safer. They saw the Lord walking on water with Peter. They didn’t believe they could do it. Not even if the Lord said, ” come .” The wind and the danger it foreshadowed were more real to them.
The sea
The sea represents circumstances in our lives. Its only constant is change. The ebb and flow of the tide continues endlessly until the wind starts to blow. The wind makes the sea restless and unpredictable, like life. Once the waves are whipped up, the angry sea becomes dangerous. Shipwrecks testify to the power of the stormy seas to annihilate everything in its path. Every seaman is afraid of the terror of the seas.
Why did the Lord walk on the Sea of Galilee to the boat?
Why did He say to Peter,” come “?
It was a Divine call to walk on water. Not to sink and drown in the sea of the circumstances of life but to walk on top of it. Not even to swim in it but to rise above its waves. Not to do it on your own but to do it when your Master is with you in the open sea.
Peter answered the call. He had the faith to step out of the boat. The others did not. Peter walked on water. The others did not.
Faith asks us to hear our Master’s call to walk on water in times like these. Others drown but no one who believes in Jesus will. The instant we cry out ” Lord, save me! ” His Hand will immediately be stretched out to us. We will not sink, much less drown.
Peter did not cry out to his friends in the boat to save him. The little faith he had left told him they would not be able to save him in time. Or at all. Only His Master could.
Did the Lord carry Peter back to the boat?
No. Verse 32 tells us this, ” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ” With His Hand the Lord held Peter and they walked on water towards the boat and as scripture says, they climbed into the boat on reaching it.
The storm that Peter feared never came. The wind died down. Often we are terrified of things we imagine will happen but did not come to pass. We frighten ourselves more than the world frightens us.
Prayer :
Lord Jesus, we need You today as Peter did on that fateful day on the Sea of Galilee. Teach us to cry out with our little faith ” Lord, save me! ” Some among us have no faith left even to cry out. Grant them Lord the needed faith to do so for You will surely hear their cries and stretch out Your Hand to save them. You will not let them sink lower. You will not let them drown.
And dear Lord, as you rebuked the wind and said to the stormy sea ” Be still ” in Mark 4, please do the same for us today. For we ask in the precious Name of Jesus, Amen.
每日灵粮
星期日2021 年 8 月 27 日
标题：那沉闷的心情
作者：张绣梅
翻译：巫惠如
太14:30 “主啊，救我！
这是特殊时期。
许多人已渐渐失去希望，而且信徒也包括在内。这是一种沉闷的感觉，犹如彼得担心他们的生活以及孩子们会受到什么影响。
当彼得开始往下沉，他哭喊，“主啊，救我！“。是什么让彼得失去控制？为什么他的信心突然消失？
风
是一阵风。彼得是个渔夫，他对风很了解。加利利海以暴雨闻名，因为它位于裂谷的低洼地带。彼得看到风的时候就害怕。这是一场暴风雨的先兆。他瞬间失去信心，但他的主却没有。彼得大喊道，“主啊，救我！”
耶稣立刻伸出手抓住了彼得。上帝对彼得说的话是我们今天在这个动荡时期需要听到的。耶稣说，“你这小信的人哪，为什么疑惑呢？”
当主说“你来吧”时，其他门徒都不相信彼得会下船。 他们一定在彼得真正离开船时惊呆了。所有常识和人类理解都告诉他们，他很可能会溺水致死。更让他们惊愕的是，他们看到彼得在水面上走！
然而，十一位门徒都没有尝试这一壮举。他们看到了风但船显得比较安全。他们看见主和彼得在水面上走，但他们不相信他们也能做到。即使主说“你来吧”，风和所预示的危险对他们来说更加真实。
海
大海代表生活的环境。它唯一的常数是变化。海中潮起潮落一直持续到风开始吹起。风使海变得不稳定和不可预测，就像人生。一旦海浪升起，愤怒的海水就会变得危险。沉船事故证明狂风怒潮的力量足以摧毁海中的一切。每个海员都害怕巨浪的可怕来袭。
上帝为什么在加利利海上行走呢？
他为什么对彼得说“你来吧”？
是上帝呼唤他在水上行走。不是沉入和淹没在生活的大海，而是走在海面。甚至不是在水中游泳，而是越过海浪。不是自己独自一行，而是与主在海上同行。
彼得以行动回应了呼唤。他有信心下船，其他人则没有。他在水面上行走，其他人则没有。
信心催促我们听主的呼唤，在这样的时刻在水上行走。其他人会往下沉，但相信耶稣的人不会。我们哭喊求助的那一刻，“主啊，救我”，他会赶紧伸手拉住我们。我们不会沉下去，更不会淹溺。
彼得没有向船上的朋友求救。他仅存的一点小信心告诉他，他们不能及时救他，或者是根本无法。只有他的主才能救他。
是上帝把彼得带回船上的吗？
不，32节告诉我们，“他们上了船，风浪就平静了。“上帝用他的手抓住彼得，他们行在水面朝船走，如圣经所说，他们上了船。
彼得担心的风暴从未发生。风停了。我们常常害怕想象中会发生的事，但后来都没有发生。我们吓自己的程度比世界吓我们的还要多。
祈祷：主耶稣，今天我们需要你，正如彼得在加利利海的那天一样。教导我们用小小的信心大声喊叫，“主啊，救我！“。我们当中有些人甚至没有信心哭出来。主啊，赐他们所需的信心，你一定会听到他们的呼求，也会伸出你的手去救他们。你绝不会让他们沉溺。
亲爱的主，当你斥责风，止住狂风巨浪，向海说：”住了吧！静了吧！“，请你今天也这样帮助我们。我们以耶稣宝贵的名求，阿门。