"Well, That Escalated Quickly"

By Gobel Brockman


     When I was a kid I remember my Dad talking with someone about how fast time seems to go, and I remember him saying, "The older you get, the faster time goes." As a youngster that didn't really make sense to me.

It makes sense to me now.

     I'm reminded of this every time I hold one of my grandchildren in my arms and realize that it really wasn't all that long ago that I was holding their parent in the same way. I'm reminded of it when I see my high school classmates post pictures of their grandchildren and remember that it wasn't all that long ago that we were in high school running around and getting into trouble. Most of all, I'm reminded of it every time I look in the mirror. (That's when I'm also reminded that time can be a cruel beast indeed.)

     It's also interesting to me how quickly things can change in our daily lives. Things can be going fairly routine when one phone call or text, one knock on the door, or one "Breaking News" story on TV can change everything - sometimes in a good way, and sometimes in ways that can leave us feeling devastated. There's an excellent example of this in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew. In verses 13-21 we read of one of the greatest miracles that Jesus performed - feeding over 5,000 men (plus their wives and kids) with five loaves of bread and two fish. I try to imagine how the disciples felt that day - not only were they witnessing an incredible miracle, but Jesus was allowing them to be a part of it. In my mind I can see them on that sunny hillside smiling and laughing as they helped pass out this miraculous meal. Jesus then instructed them to gather the leftovers, and it took over twelve baskets to hold it all. It had to have been an incredible sight.

However, the disciples were soon to learn that you can go from a sunny hillside to a raging sea in a matter of minutes.

     After this miracle the Bible says that Jesus constrained (commanded) His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the sea while He sent the multitudes away. It wasn't long after they began their journey that the winds became turbulent and the boat was being tossed around in the sea. Again, in my mind I try to picture their thoughts. Mere moments earlier they were experiencing an undeniable miracle, and now here they were in a stormy sea fearful for their very lives. They were in the middle of the sea - meaning that they were in the center of God's will, because it was the very place Jesus had told them to go. The Bible goes on to say that in "the fourth watch of the night" - meaning that they had been out there for most of the night - Jesus walked out on the water to them. Simon Peter asked for and received permission from Jesus to join Him on the water, and was he was indeed able to walk on the water until he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the waves. Jesus reached down and saved him, and then they joined the others and Jesus saved them all by calming the storm.

     My point in all of this is to tell you something that I know you don't need me to tell you: life can change in an instant. We can go from a "sunny hillside" to a "raging sea" in no time flat, and the interesting thing is that as Christians many times that raging sea is the center of God's will for us. But the way I see it, Jesus was proving to His disciples - and to us - that the same power that can provide for us on the hillside can protect us in the sea. Time may move fast for us, but it's nothing to Him who is eternal. While we're fighting for our lives in the boat, He's taking a casual stroll on the water towards us. I say that because if you'll notice, the Bible doesn't say He was running on the water. He wasn't worried and He wasn't panicked. The changes that time can bring in an instant may catch us completely off-guard, but time has never caught God by surprise. He knew that His disciples were safe, because He knew He was there. Sometimes He just has to remind us of that as well.

     Wherever you are in life right now - on a hillside or on a sea - I remind you that neither time nor circumstances can impede His power. Trust Him.