Transcription
Hey everybody, listen up. Peter was in the boat that Jesus told him to get into. In fact, it was not only Peter that got into the boat on that evening, but it was the rest of the disciples. Jesus had told the disciples, "I'm going to uh meet you on the other side. I need you guys to cross over." And so they got in the boat and a storm arose and they were in peril, they believed, of their life. They thought they were going to go down.
Look, I'm not questioning their uh assessment of the dynamics. Look, they're fishermen, most of them. They knew what a bad storm was and they thought they were going to die. So that means you and I most certainly would have thought that we were about to die. Uh but the Bible tells us that Jesus came by them in the late hours of the night or the dark hours. It was the the darkest hours of the night, which is really before dawn. He comes walking by them on water as though the scripture says, as though he were going to pass by. And they thought they saw a ghost. And yet Peter calls out and says, "Jesus, if that's you, command me to come to you."
Number one, I love Peter's theology. He says, "Jesus, if that is you, I know something about you, Jesus. You are so radical and awesome as you are pouring into our lives that if you're going to ask us to do something, it's going to be impossible. That's that's kind of how we know it's you speaking to us. You're going to ask me, Jesus, to do something that is outside of my human capabilities. You're probably going to ask me something, Jesus, that is outside of my comfort zone. And so if it's you, I know you enough," Peter is saying, "I know you enough, Jesus, that if it's you, you're going to say to me, step out of the boat and walk to me on the water in the midst of the storm."
And Jesus said, "Come." And Peter stepped out and walked toward Jesus, exactly as Peter had hoped and exactly as Jesus Christ, of course, had previously known because to God all things are previous. He knows all things. He's before all things. He's previous. He is uh he is knowledgeable of all things. He knew exactly how this was going to play out. But Peter didn't. And the waves, the Bible says, began to become very boisterous. That is rough. Imagine that. And he's looking at Jesus. He's doing fine. But the Bible says Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus. He looks at the waves and he begins to sink. And then Peter utters the shortest prayer in the Bible. "Lord, save me." The Bible tells us that Jesus stretched out his hand and immediately they were at the shore. He got into the he he he got into the boat.
I want to say all that to say this, that right now in our world, right now in our America, that there's so much going on regarding Israel and Iran, Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, um, you name it. There's so much happening. And there's so much rhetoric coming out of President Trump, others as well, on both sides, on all sides, that you could look at those peripheral things that are big deals. Don't don't get me wrong. All of this dynamic that's happening, it's a big deal. Whenever Israel is involved in anything, it's a big deal. It means God's at work. God's doing something. Keep your eye on Israel. Keep your eye on God's work.
But the the temptation has hit a lot of people. And I have to confess sometimes, I mean, I I think I've been managing it pretty well, but there's times even for myself where the United States will say something or do something and it's like, wait, what's going on? But keep your eyes on Jesus because as we watch the dynamics between the United States and Israel or the United States and Iran, don't get caught up into the tactics of war. Living in the 21st century right now, living with the technology that you and I have right now, we have access to some degree of war in real time. We've never had this before. I want that to sink in for a moment. We have access right now through technology to the dynamics of the waves going up and down. That if you begin to feel like that emotionally because of the news, you're happy up one day and sad and down the other day. Don't get caught up into that storm. Keep your eyes on Jesus because again, we have already discovered that some of the warfare tactics Trump has been very, very pointman on. Meaning experts have already discussed, you can look it up on your own, that this is the first time that we know of since George Washington that an American president has been involved in the tactics of war by disinformation or misinformation to confuse or to thwart or to cause the enemy to be off guard. In other words, psychological warfare. It's been remarkable. We've watched President Trump and Bibi Netanyahu, so to speak, be at war with each other and saying bad words to each other and their relationship breaking up only to find out it was a stunt. It was a ploy to get the uh Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps off target. And then the next event is something more crazy and more deceptive to bring about some advantage. So instead of throwing your arms up in panic or defeat, remember this. This is the first time we've ever had access to real war in real time. In other words, we are spectators to something we do not know anything of.
Number two is that now that we know that we see things transpiring, we do not need to make a judgment call on it. There's no need to be the first one across the news breaking headline. If you try to do that, you're going to look to be a fool. Be patient at a time like this. Look to God. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Thirdly is this. Pray for your country wherever you live. I live in the United States. I'm praying for the United States. I'm praying for Persia. I am praying for Israel. I'm praying for Lebanon. I'm praying for Syria. I'm praying. You're praying. But know this. Wherever you are, wherever you stand right now, you are to look to Jesus to get you through whatever storm you're in. So, no matter how big the waves get, no matter how big the rhetoric gets, no matter what's being reported on the news, keep your eyes on Jesus and you'll never fail. You'll end up just fine because listen, his word will never mislead us. So, if we stay true to his word and we wait patiently for him, God will bring about all things to his glory. He is moving among the nations. Just make sure he's moving in your heart. And if he is, he's going to say things like this. Come, step out of the boat. Come to me. He will invite you to leave your comfortable space. He will invite you to do something that's impossible. That's the kind of God he is. Why? Because he's the one that will take care of all of the things, be it natural or supernatural, because he is the king of kings and the lord of lords. Amen.