Day 3: In the depths
“Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” He said (Matthew 14:28-29).
Our Father and Sovereign God, You are the One and Only Creator-God. In the marvel of the Godhead, You moved by Your Spirit over a formless, empty void (Genesis 1:1-2) and through Your Son created all things:
The Son is the image of the invisible God... For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17).
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” the psalmist David asks. You are in the heavens, in the depths, and on the far side of the sea (Psalm 139:7-9). David knew the comfort of a God who is present in every place and in every circumstance. He knew that the Sovereign Almighty God cannot be confined by space or limits.
God alone, the Lord over creation, can journey to the springs of the sea and walk in the recesses of the deep (Job 38:16). He alone can make a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters (Isaiah 43:16). And He alone can suspend the laws of nature (Joshua 10:12-13).
For the disciple Peter, who would have learned all this as part of his spiritual heritage, the theoretical lessons were not enough. Because in Peter's life, as in the life of all who desire to walk with You, You seal Your truths with experience, so that belief becomes unmovable faith, and knowledge of You surpasses theory and theology.
And so in preparation for what was to come, the Lord Jesus called Peter to follow into the impossible, into the deep, into the unfathomable. And Peter learned as David did, as Job did, that in the depths, in the recesses of the deep, the Maker and Ruler of creation is sovereign. He learned that in the menacing wind, in the sinking waters of little faith and swamping doubt, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:10).
Lord, we too, know much about You theoretically. Bu as You work in our lives, You issue the same invitation, "Come" (Matthew 14:29). And when we think we couldn't possibly have understood You, You affirm that this is the way. And You reassure us, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." (Matthew 14:27).
Because you desire that we know You—that we "experience" You. You desire to prepare us for what is to come. You desire for us to learn that we will never sink. You desire for us to come to the place where we gaze in awe, wonderment, and reverent, holy fear. You desire for us to be like Job, who declared, "My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You" (Job 42:5).
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