In today’s gospel of Matthew, we read about the well know story of Jesus walking on the water. If we look closely at this gospel passage, we see an important statement in the very first sentence that often times gets over looked. That statement is this, “Jesus made them get into the boat and precede him to the other side.” It wasn’t like the disciples decided to go on a celebratory joy ride after the miracle of feeding the five thousand. It says very clearly, they were made to get in the boat.

We have to wonder why Jesus made them get into the boat. And why he made them get in without him. He must have known what was about to happen.

And we see from the story, as the disciples get into the boat and set out for sea, the events that followed were very unsettling. During that evening, while a few miles out to sea the water became quite rough. The boat was being tossed around by the waves and the disciples were scared. On top of all of this, they saw what appeared to them as a ghost. And Matthew tells us, “they were afraid.”

While none of us were in that boat on that day with the disciples, we all have been made to get into a boat in our lifetimes. Sometimes more than once. These boats represent the challenging times in our lives. A financial setback. A divorce. The loss of a loved one. A medical condition that affects us or someone we love. The types of boats are endless. I don’t know why we have to ride these boats. But ride them, it seems, we must.

I want to be clear that I am not suggesting to you that being made to go out on the boat is necessarily any form of punishment. What I am suggesting is this. That these boat rides in life that we must take, are our opportunities to draw closer to our Lord.

Now as we ride these boats of the challenges in our life, we see many similarities between ourselves and the disciples that stormy night. Notice that as the sea begins to toss them around, fear begins to grip them. If you have ever been in a boat that is in rough water you have had this fear. The fear that results from a loss of control. That at any minute the water can consume you and take you away. In a word, you are helpless.

Much is the same when we are tossed about by the struggles that come from a difficult challenge in our life. We respond with fear as we begin to realize our loss of control, our helplessness.

But as we see from today’s gospel, when fear has gripped us and all seems hopeless, There is a faint voice that cries out to us in the storm. It is the voice of our Lord. “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Yes, in those times when the fears of life are tossing us around, our Lord is calling out to us. “do not be afraid.” But often times while we can hear his voice, the fear continues.

Notice that after the Lord tells Peter do not be afraid, Peter cries back, “if it is you, tell me to come to you.” Jesus says “come”. And so Peter goes.

As we know, Peter starting out on the stormy sea to our Lord is not the end of the story. In fact, It is just the beginning. Notice that as Peter makes his way to Jesus the fear continues and begins to build. So much so that he is engulfed by the water and he starts to sink.

This is much the same for the times in our life when the sea is rough. We hear the voice of our Lord calling to us and we start out on the water to him. But as we head toward him, we like Peter, begin to doubt. The sea of fear of the events in our live continue to engulf us to overtake us. We to begin to sink from the doubt. We tell ourselves; things are not getting any better. The sea is still rough. Can he really help me. And just like with Peter, as the doubt continues, we find ourselves being pulled deeper and deeper into the water.

This sense of sinking is a result of the realization that WE are helpless. That WE have no control.

And as we begin to truly realize that no matter what we do, we cannot calm the rough seas of our life by ourselves, we realize we must surrender.

We must surrender not to the rough water of the sea of our troubles, but instead we must surrender to our Lord. And like with Peter, at that moment, our Lord reaches down into the sea of our despair, he grabs our hand, pulls us to him, and returns us to the boat.

Notice here that he does not lift us out of the water and take us to the safety of shore. Or place us in a helicopter and fly us to the closest hospital for treatment. Just like Peter, He returns us to the boat. We remain in the boat.

We are still in the boat of the circumstances of our life but the winds have died down, the seas have been calmed. Calmed by the realization that our Lord is with us and that he will never leave us. That he is truly our savior the Son of God.