| Just Before Dawn |
Just Before Dawn
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the
sea.
— Matthew 14:25
In Matthew 14, we read about the disciples being tossed by the wind
and waves in their boat on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus came,
walking on the water, at the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch
was the last part of the night, just before dawn. This means the disciples
had been at sea for at least nine hours in this fierce storm. So we see
that Jesus came to them at the last conceivable moment.
This reminds us that God's delays are not necessarily His denials.
Jesus knew what He was doing all along. Why did He wait so long
before He intervened? Probably because it took a long time for them to
exhaust their resources and completely trust in Him.
Lifeguards will tell you that often the hardest person to save is the one
who is panicking. But when an individual is exhausted, when he or she
has no energy left, the lifeguard can pull that person back in to safety. In
the same way, sometimes God will allow us to get to the end of our
rope, to the end of our resources, so we will finally cling to Him.
The disciples were exhausted and afraid. "[Jesus] said to them, 'It is I;
do not be afraid.' Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and
immediately the boat was at the land where they were going" (John 6:
20–21). For many of us, that is what Jesus is waiting for. He is waiting
for us to say, "Come on board." He will come on board if you will invite
Him. He will take control of your storm-tossed boat, even in the darkest
night, just before dawn.
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the
sea.
— Matthew 14:25
In Matthew 14, we read about the disciples being tossed by the wind
and waves in their boat on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus came,
walking on the water, at the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch
was the last part of the night, just before dawn. This means the disciples
had been at sea for at least nine hours in this fierce storm. So we see
that Jesus came to them at the last conceivable moment.
This reminds us that God's delays are not necessarily His denials.
Jesus knew what He was doing all along. Why did He wait so long
before He intervened? Probably because it took a long time for them to
exhaust their resources and completely trust in Him.
Lifeguards will tell you that often the hardest person to save is the one
who is panicking. But when an individual is exhausted, when he or she
has no energy left, the lifeguard can pull that person back in to safety. In
the same way, sometimes God will allow us to get to the end of our
rope, to the end of our resources, so we will finally cling to Him.
The disciples were exhausted and afraid. "[Jesus] said to them, 'It is I;
do not be afraid.' Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and
immediately the boat was at the land where they were going" (John 6:
20–21). For many of us, that is what Jesus is waiting for. He is waiting
for us to say, "Come on board." He will come on board if you will invite
Him. He will take control of your storm-tossed boat, even in the darkest
night, just before dawn.
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |