A Devotion for Stepping Out in Faith

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

- Matthew 14: 22-33 NRSV 

Dear friends,

By now each of you have heard the news about our grant status. I’m sure many of you have experienced some of the same emotions: shock, fear, anxiety, confusion, maybe even you’ve moved to a place of acceptance. Wherever you find yourself, know that you are not alone; we are not yet done with our work and we need each of you as we pray and plan for how to finish this recovery faithfully.

Last night, I walked with my family down to the banks of the Hillsborough River, about two blocks from our house. It was not yet dusk, and the late evening sun beat on the rocks and crushed shells that lined the shore. Perched on the seawall, we spotted herons and gulls, swooping and dipping in the water for their evening meal. I noticed how the water, usually calm at this point in the river, rippled in regular waves, sending up splashes of water that dotted our calves.

I didn’t expect to find waves here. But there they were.

It made me think of Peter, compelled by Jesus to board a boat, then left to face the waves seemingly alone. He did not expect to find himself, bobbing and frightened, wind beaten and without his Lord.

It’s easy to read about Peter’s faith, or lack thereof, and think “Why doesn’t he muster up his courage? Gather up his faith and walk out onto the water to meet Jesus?”

It’s something I’ve thought to myself in times of worry and fear – why can’t I just have faith???

If our faith came from our own willing and trying, that might be the answer.

But Scripture tells us, this faith that Jesus seeks in Peter, the faith that is passed down from generation, lived out in communities and families – finds its roots and source in God.

Faith, like any of the other gifts of the church that we read about in 1 Corinthians 12, comes fully alive not by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps faith isn’t something we can conjure up within ourselves by our own will, but a gift from God we must open ourselves to. Might faith be something that Christ does in us, should we only open our hearts?

In light of the uncertainty and anxiety we’ve all been experiencing the last few days, might the gift of faith be found not in our own power, but a trust that comes alive when we hear the voice of Christ, calling to us across the waves.

We didn’t expect these waves. At least not so soon.

But what meets us in the waves, what beckons us forward, out of our fear and out of our comfort zone, is the voice of God. A voice that reminds us that we are not alone. That we will not be left to sink.

As I look back on the nearly two years of recovery work post-Irma, I am filled with awe; awe for the way God laid a path before us, awe for the way each of you responded in faith to the call before you.

Our faith, in God and God’s wisdom, now beckons us from the boat again.

God has been on the move. And He still is.

Our job now, as people of God, is to unfurl the edges of our faith, to fill our hearts with hope, to be made alive by the Holy Spirit, sent to follow God on the next leg of this adventure.

With you on the journey,

Chaplain Amy

Blessing on the Waves

by Jan Richardson

I cannot promise
that this blessing
will keep you afloat
as if by lashing these words
to your arms,
your ankles,
you could stop yourself
from going under.

The most this blessing
can do, perhaps,
is to stand beside you
in the boat,
place its hand
in the small of your back,
and push.

Be assured that
though this blessing
is eager to set you
in motion,
it will not
leave you forsaken,
will not compel you
to leap
where it has not already
stepped out.

These words
will go with you
across the waves.
These words
will accompany you
across the waters.

And if you
find yourself
flailing,
this blessing
will breathe itself
into you,
will breathe itself
through you

until you are
borne up
by the hands
that reach toward you,
the voice that
calls your name.