Hope you brought your swim trunks today because our destination is the Sea of Galilee! Let’s go on an adventure! Let’s go to the holy land by opening our bibles and visiting some of the places that Jesus visited, and remembering some of the wonderful things he did. We’re going to walk in his footsteps and learn from him some more this week, and also growing our faith.
Are you ready for our first stop? We’re going to stop at the Sea of Galilee. Here we go!
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Transcription:
Hope you brought your swim trunks today because our destination is the Sea of Galilee. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, and it’s hard for me to be able to even get my head around this, but my daughter, Hannah, has been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The gift of going to Israel, of walking in the places where Jesus walked and in some cases sailed. Yeah, she’s going to be on a boat in the Sea of Galilee. And it feels like just yesterday, Hannah was just a tiny baby. She’s always had this beautiful red hair. And I was reading to her from the rhyme Bible in that rocking chair, and I’ve always remembered this one line for some reason, when Jesus calmed the storm, calm, be still a wind, and see, he said, and it was calm immediately. And that little baby is now 24 years old and on an adventure.
So I have this crazy thought. Why don’t you and I go on an adventure too? We can go to the holy land by opening our bibles and visiting some of the places that Jesus visited, and remembering some of the wonderful things he did. We’re going to walk in his footsteps and learn from him some more this week, and also growing our faith. It’s not easy, no matter how old your child is to let go. It’s a process. When Hannah was a baby, I remember we dedicated her to the Lord and that was just the beginning. It was the first time I would give her back to the Lord, and here I am doing it again. And I believe whether it’s a child or a job or a dream, whatever it is, we all have something that’s better placed in the Lord’s hands than our own.
So, may this be an exercise of faith for you and for me this week. Are you ready for our first stop? We’re going to stop at the Sea of Galilee. This is one of the places Hannah’s going to see first. I just can’t believe it. We’re going to be jumping into Matthew chapter 14, but first a few interesting facts about the Sea of Galilee. It’s not a sea. It’s actually a big lake and it’s the largest supply of fresh drinking water to Israel. Something else that I found absolutely fascinating is that from the air, from a picture that NASA took, it looks like the shape of a harp, like a harp that the angels play that you picture. And in some cases a human heart. So not like the heart that you and I would draw on a piece of paper and say, I heart you or I love you, but the actual human heart, the organ. It does resemble that. To me, it’s very fitting because the sea of Galilee was kind of like the heart of where Jesus’s ministry took place, and he came to save your heart and my heart. So, it’s super fitting that the place where he spent so much time would look like a human heart. I just love that stuff.
It’s also the place where he called Peter and Andrew to stop being fishermen and instead be fishers of men. What an invitation. The Sea of Galilee is also the place where he calmed a storm, Jesus did. And it’s the backdrop for today’s story. Are you ready? Jesus has just done a miracle for context. He has fed 5,000 people and that didn’t even include women and children, which is amazing. Now we’re going to pick it up in Matthew chapter 14, verse 22.
Immediately after this,
So immediately after the miracle.
…Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell, while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water.
Good chills. Okay!
When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear they cried out it’s a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them at once. Don’t be afraid. He said, take courage. I am here.
That part right there is especially tender and precious to me right now because there’s this huge part of me that is so excited for my daughter being in the Holy Land and having this experience of a lifetime and unwrapping this gift that was so generously given to her. And then there’s the part that’s like my daughter is in the Middle East, thousands of miles away from us, and it’s a little bit terrifying. But it’s an opportunity to trust, and that’s what I’m leaning into right now. And you know what I’m hearing? I’m hearing Jesus say to me, don’t be afraid. He’s saying it to you as well, in that thing that causes a little bit of panic to rise up in your heart. He is speaking to you in that and saying, don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here. So two commands followed by a very comforting fact. Don’t be afraid. Command one, take courage. Command two, and the glorious fact, I am here. Jesus was there for the disciples when they were afraid, when the storm was raging all around them, and he is here for you in this moment, whatever your storm looks like. All right, picking up the story again in verse 28.
Then Peter called to him, Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water. Yes, come. Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified, and began to sink. Save me Lord. He shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. You have so little faith. Jesus said, why did you doubt me? When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. You really are the son of God. They exclaimed.
Oh my. Did you need to hear this today too? We’ve been given instructions what to do when we feel afraid. And it’s all about remembering that we don’t have to be afraid because Jesus is with us. He’s not going anywhere. And you know what? When we realize that, that is cause to worship. Lord, we worship you right now, and we thank you for never leaving us or forsaking us. Take away our fear and replace it with faith. In your name we pray, Lord Jesus, amen. All right, next time the Holy Land tour continues. You and I are going to keep walking by faith together. We’re going to make a stop at the Mount of the Beatitudes. Till then, you are loved.
Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.
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