We're almost to the boat.

COVID-19

Inflation

Ukraine - Russia - Taiwan - China

Abortion

Betty White

Thin Blue Line

I can't breathe

My name is ... and I endorsed this ad.

Servant Leader, do you ever feel like hate is winning? Do you ever look around and count the cost of fighting every day? Do you ever wonder, "What more is it going to take?"

Lauren Daigle released a song last year titled, "Hold On To Me." That song is a cry for someone who feels overwhelmed by the hate in this world. In it, Lauren sings...

When I don't feel like I'm worth defending When I'm tired of all my pretending Hold on to me

When I start to break in desperation Underneath the weight of expectation Hold on to me Hold on to me

Hold on to me when it's too dark to see You When I am sure I have reached the end Hold on to me when I forget I need You When I let go, hold me again (Daigle, 2021)

When I look around at all the things we've experienced these last few years, only a few of which are listed at the top of this post, I have to admit. I feel a little like Peter, neck deep, crying out, "Save me!"

"So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased." (Matt 14:29-32, NKJV)

We've all heard that story recounted dozens of times in church, usually as a comment on faith and how we should keep our eyes on Jesus and ignore the tempest raging around us. Servant Leader, Peter ate and slept with the embodiment of the Almighty God, and he was distracted by the waves. Peter lived with Christ, listened to His teachings for years, and still he was overcome by the weight of his temporal world.

Still, rather than focus on the typical sermony stuff, I want to look at the last line...

"And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased."

Servant Leader, did you see that Jesus didn't calm the waves and the wind and the storm when He retrieved Peter from the depths? Why didn't Jesus pull Peter up, calm the waters, and then return to the boat?

He waited because He wanted us to understand that, even in the midst of our unfaithfulness, even in the midst of our focus on temporal things, even when we cry out, "hold on to me"

He already has our hand.

Jesus let Peter sink, but He did not let him drown.

Jesus could have calmed the waves the instant Peter reached and cried out. The pastor's lesson would have been the same - keep your eyes on Jesus. But no, He left the storm raging while He and Peter walked hand-in-hand, on the waves, in the wind, to the boat. Only after they reached the boat and the storm no longer threatened Peter's life did Jesus calm the wind.

So, Servant Leader, when you look around you and see nothing but hate. When the mainstream media focuses on the next variant of COVID and how it has wrecked our economy. When you hear of another tragedy, or feel the sting of another loved one's death, or wonder why we're in Eastern Europe or the Far East when we can't even secure our own border...when the hate seems overwhelming. When you wonder, "How do I lead my people when I can't even see above the waves myself?" Remember that Jesus doesn't calm the storm when you are in it. He waits until you've reached out to Him, cried out to Him, and accepted His hand in help. He gets you to the boat, then He calms the storm.

Find the courage, Servant Leader, that no matter what storm you are in, no matter how boisterous the day's wind, you'll cry out to Jesus before you drown. When you do, trust that He will calm the wind, but also understand that He needs to get you to the boat first.

Hold on to me when I forget I need You. When I let go, hold me again.

(Never Forsaken: Abraham Hunter)