DAY 1: Stand Watch

A five-foot water moccasin and a five-year-old boy are on a collision course in the swimming area of a neighborhood lake. I am chasing the snake, waiting for the right moment to grab it by the tail, sling it out of the way, and hope to God I don’t get bit.

I’m afraid of snakes. No, that’s putting it too mildly. I am terrified of snakes. Friends remind me that I only need to be worried about the venomous ones, but I don’t ever want to be close enough to a snake to know the difference.

When I found a snake coiled up under the seat of my riding lawn mower, my wife—the nature lover—reassured me that it was just a friendly red rat snake. I don’t care. If that thing had crawled out onto my lap while I was mowing, I would have had a heart attack, fallen off the mower, been chopped into pieces by the blades, and then eaten by the rat snake, friendly or not.

And yet, despite all my fears, here I am, running after, and not away from, my worst nightmare – a large, nasty, and venomous water moccasin. Why? Because, for better or worse, I am the lifeguard on duty.

Save Me, Lord

In Matthew 14:22-33, we read the account of Jesus as he walks on the water out to his disciples on their boat. At first, they are frightened for they think Jesus is a ghost, but Jesus offers reassuring words: “Don’t be afraid. I am here.”

We read this story, and we marvel at the miracle that is Peter walking on water. What an amazing moment that must have been for him. With each step, Peter must be thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe I’m really doing this! This is so cool!” The disciples watching must have been equally amazed.

But then Peter begins to see the wind and the waves and the stormy parts of the sea, and he becomes fearful, and suddenly he finds himself beginning to sink. In that moment of crisis, he cries out, “Save me, Lord!”

This is where pastors and preachers usually focus as the lesson from this story. On Peter. How he set his sights on his circumstances and not his savior and began to lose faith in both. And these are valuable lessons for us indeed.

But I want to consider the story from the other viewpoint, to see it from the eyes of Jesus and not Peter. I want us to examine how Jesus responded to Peter when Peter was in trouble.

Matthew records Peter’s fearful words as he begins to sink: “Save me, Lord!” In that moment, Scripture tells us, “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him.” Jesus wasn’t going to let Peter drown.

And he won’t let you drown either. You are going to be invited by God to take those leaps of faith, to step out of the boat, to walk on the water, to do the hard things, and to take some risks. When you find yourself in over your head, call out to Jesus, and let him reach out his hand and catch you.

But I also believe that we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus for others. Whether friends or family, colleagues or co-workers, roommates or residence hall neighbors, we can let them know that we are standing watch. There is a lifeguard on duty.

REFLECTION

Have you ever been rescued by someone else during a difficult or challenging season? How did it feel to have someone standing watch? Have you ever felt alone in a difficult season? How did that feel?