July 17 I Wednesday

Psalms 18-19

Acts 20:17-38

“For He ‘has put everything under His feet’. Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ.”   —1 Corinthians 15:27

The famous story of Jesus walking on water gives more implications to us than simply Jesus having the power to walk on water. The event took place after Jesus fed the 5,000, dismissed the crowds and told his disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He remained on the shore.

Jesus knew something they did not know: He knew the weather forecast. As the disciples began to cross the lake, a storm blew up. Most of these disciples were fishermen; they knew how to handle storms. Not only were they fishermen, Galilee was also their patch, but even then, they were terrified by the storm. Suddenly, they looked and saw, to their horror and amazement, what they thought to be a ghost walking towards them on the water. They cried out in fear and the ghost spoke, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). It was not a ghost, it was Jesus walking on water.

Peter, sitting in the boat, worked something out that the other disciples missed. He was holding onto the boat, fearful that in any moment, one of these waves might come crashing into the boat and send them down to the depths of the sea. Yet, Peter, while sitting there in the boat, realized the very thing that threatened to be over their heads, was underneath Jesus’s feet. When the waves went up, Jesus went up. When the waves came down, Jesus came down. So Peter initiated to Jesus, “‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to You on the water’” (Matthew 14:28). Jesus responded to Peter, “Come.” Slowly, Peter put his first foot forward followed by his second foot and began to walk on the waves. When the waves went up, Peter went up. When the waves came down, Peter came down. What had threatened to be over his head a few minutes before was now under his feet.

This is a beautiful picture of the principle from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For He ‘has put everything under His feet’” (1 Corinthians 15:26-27). Therefore, to know the power of His resurrection means we want to know that power, where everything that threatens to be over our heads today, is under His feet. Although things in life that seemingly swamp us are big, threatening or even overwhelming, we discover, through the power of Jesus’s resurrection, that they are under our feet.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You that no matter what waves life brings, I know everything is placed under Your feet. Help me to continue placing my faith steadfastly in You.