Four Miracles
by Lindsey Hanekom
The story of Peter walking on the water is a famous one and I recently realised that not just one miracle, but four miracles took place on that occasion. Each of these miracles represents a place in life that I can relate to.
The first miracle was the faith of Peter, an openness of heart to do the impossible. The disciples were in a precarious situation; in a boat with a storm rising up against them, buffeted on all sides, with no easy way out of the situation. I too have felt like this in my life … where I am stuck somewhere and all that I have left is to just hold on and hope things will calm down soon. The other eleven disciples stayed in this place. But Peter’s heart was open to the fact that the impossible may actually be possible – with Jesus.
The second miracle was that Peter acted on the Lord’s invitation and he stepped out of the boat, on to the water and started walking. In life it is so easy to be overwhelmed by all the things that make something seem impossible. This is where the reality of faith collides with the reality of the world. It is easy to stay in the boat and have faith that it is possible to walk on water but stepping out of the boat is an entirely different matter!
The third miracle is that, even though Jesus was a way off from them, He was immediately there when Peter needed saving. In those moments of doubt that you are doing the right thing that the sense of drowning looms. But it is in those moments that Jesus draws closer and gives you His hand to hold on to.
The fourth miracle was the calming of the sea. Peter had learned some lessons. The other disciples missed out on the experience. But they too had learned some lessons. I know all about that deep cry for the Lord to calm the waters of my life. I also know that it is in these times that the Lord is teaching me, changing me, and honing me. This is the key to the calmness coming. If I resist these refining times, I am keeping myself in the stormy waters. Merely crying out for the Lord to stop it is missing the reason I am there in the first place.
Wherever we find ourselves in life, there are lessons for us to learn from Peter’s experience, and we can take great confidence from the fact that Jesus was fully aware of the Peter’s situation the whole time.
Lindsey Hanekom Lindsey has worked at all of our UK centres over the years and has settled at Ellel Scotland with her husband, Johann and their two young children, Kyle and Zoe. As part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Scotland, Lindsey has a heart for the deeply broken as she oversees the prayer ministry and is an established and passionate teacher with Ellel. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys the natural world, particularly the ocean, and is trained as a specialist medic to assist stranded and injured marine mammals.
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