yesterday, today, and forever

I’m reading the book of Matthew right now. I forget how powerful it is. It’s like every section is so full of wisdom I can think about it all day.

This morning I opened up to the subtitle “Jesus Walks on the Water”… and my eyes immediately welled up with tears. Weird. What?!

I guess I really needed to be reassured of Christ’s power today. I think so often I fail to really fully let it wash over me just how powerful the Lord is. It’s like in the back of my mind I know intellectually that He performed all sorts of miracles during His lifetime (and after), but for some reason I limit His power in my own life today.

Why do I do this if:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8

Why do I doubt His ability to perform miracles today?

I often forget that Jesus wasn’t the only one who walked on the water. Peter did, too. Matthew 14:29-30 tells us:

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord save me!'”

This story both saddens me and fills me with hope.

It saddens me because I find myself all too similar to Peter in my quickness to doubt, to try to do things on my own, to fail to keep my eyes fixed on my Savior.

But it gives me hope in that Jesus wants to share His power with us, just as He did with Peter. And that if we have faith and look to Him, then we, too, can witness His miracles. We, too, can walk on water.

And when the waters get rough in our lives and we are tempted to give up, to lose hope, to sink? Well, that’s when Christ – in all His faithfulness – will perform a great miracle, just in time, and calm the very waters upon which He called us.

If He did it with Peter, He can do it with us. After all, He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever.