Friday, October 27, 2017

Think Outside The Boat

"When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "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." Matthew 14:26-29



Storms have a way of getting our attention. I guess that is why we ave these lessons on the lake. So far we have learned:

Lake Lesson #1 - During the storm it helps to know that Jesus put you in the boat.

Lake Lesson #2 - Jesus prayed for you while you are steering the boat.

Lake Lesson #3 - Jesus knows where we are in the storm.

Lake Lesson #4 - Jesus know the perfect time to come to us in the storm.

This morning I have another lesson for you. It is this: When In A Storm, Think Outside the Boat.

Because Jesus knew exactly where the disciples were and because He knew how to get there and because nothing could keep Him away, He came walking to them on the water! That's right! On the water through the storm!

If you were in a boat in a storm being blown by the wind and tossed by the waves, who would you most want to see? Jesus! 

Me too!

Well, He came walking on the waves through the wind and in the darkness. Apparently they weren't looking for Him because when He got in eyesight they thought they were seeing a ghost! They cried out in fear. 

What would you do?

Jesus called out to them so they would recognize Him. Peter did.

This is one of the points I want to make, we need to learn to look for Jesus in new ways. He is always doing new things and He loves to do them in new ways. Our tendency is to look for Jesus in the last place where He appeared to us. He rarely does that!
When you are in a storm things that work in calm weather don't always work. So, a storm can force you to think outside the boat and look for God in new ways and allow Him to come to you like He hasn't before.

If you are in a storm and the old things aren't working, think outside the boat! If you are looking for Jesus to move in the way He did last time, think outside the boat!

Also, thinking outside the boat will cause you to take some risks you have never taken before. Peter had never walked on water before. It had never occurred to him. Why would it?

But when he saw Jesus coming to them in the storm, he took a risk. He thought outside the boat and so he got outside the boat. Risky? Yes, but you know what? The boat was going to sink anyway as things were going! So maybe, getting out of the boat to go to Jesus wasn't that risky after all!

You may be just one big risk away from finding help in your storm!