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Emmanuel: Jesus 24/7
Jon Burgess6That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him.17But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.18Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.19They had rowed three or four mileswhen suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified,20but he called out to them,“Don’t be afraid. I am here!21Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination! John 6:6-20
Jesus hadn't told the disciples what He was up to our what His plans were. Obviously they were supposed to travel together. When Jesus didn't show up the disciples figured He could catch up with them later. What's the big deal? It's not their fault Jesus was a no show? Many of them were fishermen and had spent their lives on the water. They didn't need Jesus for this trip to Capernaum. For multiplying loaves and fishes- yes they needed Jesus. For healing the sick- yes they needed Jesus. For rowing across the water, nah, they were good. Right? Wrong? Waiting on Jesus is always worth the wait. "They were eager to let him in the boat" in the middle of the storm but not so eager to wait on Jesus in the middle of the calm.
We wait on Jesus when we need Him and when we don't, we just move on without Him. The truth of this story though is that we need Him at all times whether in storm or calm. Whether we are contending for a miracle or just walking through the mundane. Whether we are facing something brand new or something we have been doing for most of our lives. We need Jesus 24/7. There used to be an old American Express commercial that had the tag line- "Don't leave home without it". Not only should we not leave home without Jesus we shouldn't live at home without Jesus either. What this requires is a humility that we will not be ready for what life throws at us if we are not living in an awareness of His presence. If Jesus had been in the boat with the disciples there would have been no reason to fear. If they had waited for Jesus they would have missed that storm in the first place. There is just simply no scenario in the Christian life where we do not need to be in the presence of Christ. That means pausing before going into a meeting and inviting Jesus to go with us, even if it's a meeting we've been having every week for years. That means pausing and thanking Jesus for our food even if it's the same musubi we have for lunch every day. That means turning off the radio and thanking Jesus for His presence even while we are sitting in traffic. Whether before the storm, in storm, or after the storm, if we are standing with Jesus we have no need to fear.
Jesus thank You for never ditching me even when I have ditched You. You could have just let the disicples fend for themselves. After all, it was their own impatience that got them in that mess in the first place. You came and rescued them. You came and rescued me. Forgive me the impatience that is birthed out my pride that says that I can do this, any of this without being right by Your side! This is exactly what we celebrate at Christmas- Emmanuel- God with us 24/7. The truth is I must choose to be with You 24/7 too.
