Risk Taking, For Christ's Sake: A Devotion for Men
Matthew 14:22-36
Many Bibles have titles for different stories. Each of these titles attempts to reflect a piece of what will follow. As I was skimming my Bible this morning I came across several titles that caught my attention. “The Wise and Foolish Builders”, “Worshiping Other Gods”, and “Jesus Heals Many” were a few. While each of these titles tells a piece of the story to follow, rarely are they able to get the entire biblical message across. One title I came across that I found particularly lacking was “Jesus Walks on the Water”. Sure the story includes Jesus walking on the water, but it talks about so much more. The story of Jesus walking on the water doesn’t end with him scaring the disciples and hopping in the boat. It includes Peter’s outrageously faithful request, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”
What was Peter thinking? Just a moment before his decision to walk on water he and the other disciples were sure a ghost was approaching. Yet, when Jesus said, “take courage”, Peter did. When his master said, “come”, he went. Peter stepped out of the safety and security of the boat and found himself walking on the water toward Jesus. He walked until he saw the wind and then he began to sink. Fortunately for Peter, the one who called him onto the water was there to reach out his hand and save him from the water.
This passage is about a lot of things. It’s about Jesus’ command over everything on earth (even physics!). It’s about Jesus’ “lifeguarding” hand. It’s about faith. And it’s about taking risks. Our faith in Jesus and our life of discipleship does not call us to sit in the safety and security of the status quo, but to step down into messy, chaotic, and occasionally dangerous situations of life.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and lived in Atlanta, GA. After graduating from high school he attended Morehouse College (in Atlanta), and after his ordination as a Baptist minister he moved to Boston to do some graduate work at Boston University. While he could have stayed in Boston and served churches there, he decided to return to the Southeast where he felt his fight for civil rights would be more influential. While the move meant he could make a greater impact, it also meant he and his family would be far less secure than they had been in Boston. Thirteen years later King was assassinated.
Dr. King was a faithful man whose faith and understanding of discipleship would not allow him to remain in Boston. He had to step out of the boat. While we may not be called to fight for civil rights as King did, we are invited to step out of the boat into our own stormy waters. God believes in us, or he wouldn’t bid us, “come.”.
Lord, continue to strengthen our faith to take risks. Jesus, continue to show up in the chaos and call us out our boats into it. Amen.
Many Bibles have titles for different stories. Each of these titles attempts to reflect a piece of what will follow. As I was skimming my Bible this morning I came across several titles that caught my attention. “The Wise and Foolish Builders”, “Worshiping Other Gods”, and “Jesus Heals Many” were a few. While each of these titles tells a piece of the story to follow, rarely are they able to get the entire biblical message across. One title I came across that I found particularly lacking was “Jesus Walks on the Water”. Sure the story includes Jesus walking on the water, but it talks about so much more. The story of Jesus walking on the water doesn’t end with him scaring the disciples and hopping in the boat. It includes Peter’s outrageously faithful request, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”
What was Peter thinking? Just a moment before his decision to walk on water he and the other disciples were sure a ghost was approaching. Yet, when Jesus said, “take courage”, Peter did. When his master said, “come”, he went. Peter stepped out of the safety and security of the boat and found himself walking on the water toward Jesus. He walked until he saw the wind and then he began to sink. Fortunately for Peter, the one who called him onto the water was there to reach out his hand and save him from the water.
This passage is about a lot of things. It’s about Jesus’ command over everything on earth (even physics!). It’s about Jesus’ “lifeguarding” hand. It’s about faith. And it’s about taking risks. Our faith in Jesus and our life of discipleship does not call us to sit in the safety and security of the status quo, but to step down into messy, chaotic, and occasionally dangerous situations of life.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and lived in Atlanta, GA. After graduating from high school he attended Morehouse College (in Atlanta), and after his ordination as a Baptist minister he moved to Boston to do some graduate work at Boston University. While he could have stayed in Boston and served churches there, he decided to return to the Southeast where he felt his fight for civil rights would be more influential. While the move meant he could make a greater impact, it also meant he and his family would be far less secure than they had been in Boston. Thirteen years later King was assassinated.
Dr. King was a faithful man whose faith and understanding of discipleship would not allow him to remain in Boston. He had to step out of the boat. While we may not be called to fight for civil rights as King did, we are invited to step out of the boat into our own stormy waters. God believes in us, or he wouldn’t bid us, “come.”.
Lord, continue to strengthen our faith to take risks. Jesus, continue to show up in the chaos and call us out our boats into it. Amen.
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