Daily Devotional for November 11
November 11 Matthew 14:22-36
"Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
Sitting beside the Sea of Galilee, I ask, "What will you teach
me today about Jesus?"
The Sea replies, "Jesus is God, 'who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters' (Isaiah 43:16), even the waters
of death. Jesus is the one who answers the prayer, 'Stretch forth
thy hand from on high... and deliver me from the many
waters.' (Psalms 144:7) Therefore, 'at the name of Jesus, every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth
....' " (Philippians 2:10)
"And what will you teach me about the Wind?" I ask the Sea.
The Sea replies, " 'The Spirit of God was moving over the face
of the waters' (Genesis 1:2) to form a new creation when Jesus
was crucified. To the disciples it seemed in their pain as if they
were adrift on a storm-tossed sea, and as if the Wind was against
them; but the risen Saviour was in the mighty Wind, reborn
in the power of the Spirit. Therefore, give praise to the Holy
Wind that blows where it will (John 3:8) to breathe new life
into dead bones." (Ezekial 37)
"And what will you teach me about myself?" I ask the Sea.
The Sea replies, "Like Peter, when you fear the Wind in your
life, you are like a sinking ship. Like Peter, when you trust that
God is in the Wind, you walk through seemingly impossible
situations. Therefore, like Peter, you must learn to recognize
that the Wind is the Spirit of God revealing a new direction
for your life."
Sitting in my boat I row into the Sea's deepest waters. As I watch
storm clouds gather, I repeat as a mantra the promise of God
to the disciples: "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle
Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.19