Lord of the Elements

Matthew 14: Son of God (4)

Pray Psalm 29.1, 2.
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Sing Psalm 29.1, 2.
Toulon: I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art
Give praise to God, you children of the earth!
Tell of His strength, proclaim His glorious worth!    
Give to the LORD the glory due His Name!
Worship in holiness; His grace proclaim!

Read Matthew 14.1-27; meditate on verses 22-27.
How does Jesus respond to our fears?

Prepare.
1. How did the disciples react to seeing Jesus, walking on the sea?

2. How did Jesus put them at ease?

Meditate.,
Jesus sent His disciples onto the sea, while He took some time—at last—to be alone with His Father. As the disciples made their way across the sea, a storm arose—or rather, was sent upon them—making progress difficult, if not uncertain. Then, suddenly, the disciples saw Jesus coming toward them, “walking on the sea”! They thought He was a ghost, and cried out in fear (v. 26).

Here is suggested an important connection with Job 9.8, which reads in the NKJV, “He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea…”  In Job, this verse is situated in a passage that magnifies the greatness of God and His power over all the elements of the vast cosmos.

In our passage, Jesus demonstrated without doubt that He is that God Who “treads on the waves of the sea….” But instead of seeking to terrorize His frightened disciples, Jesus meant them to be at peace: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” He intended for them to make the connection with Job and other passages in the Old Testament—such as Psalm 29—showing that God rules the waters of the sea. He wanted them to glimpse His great power, His divine majesty and might. And then He wanted them to rest in that power and be at peace.

Jesus invites us into the shelter of His divine power as well. He is the Lord of the elements. Every day, when we look out on the vast variety and expanse of creation—the sky, clouds, rains, rivers, towering trees, elegant birds, and fearsome storms—we see Jesus at work, upholding the creation by His Word of power (Heb. 1.3). The scope of His rule is all-comprehending; the enormity or His might is infinite; and the glory of His beauty, wisdom, and order weighs heavily all around.

And He says to us through that witness of the creation, amid the fears and doubts of our days, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler 
and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, 
nor of the arrow that flies by day, 
nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, 
nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” (Ps. 91.3-6).

Nor of storms in the early morning hours or things that go bump in the night.
Storms and ghosts are frightening—truly many things are—
but Jesus is greater and more powerful than they.

“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One Who is and Who was and Who is to come,
because You have taken Your great power and reigned” (Rev. 11.17).

“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?” (Job 9.4).
I daresay, no one. It is never a good idea to try.

We, like the disciples, must never harden ourselves against the Lord God of heaven and earth; 
but soften our hearts to understand, that peace will only be enjoyed, when we hear and believe 
amidst the storms, His comforting words: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14.27).

“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Ps. 4.8).

“…His Name is called The Word of God…
KING of Kings and LORD of Lords” (Rev. 19.13, 16). 

“He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea…
He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number” (Job 9.8, 10).

God is worthy of all praise and glory. And trust.

You are Lord of creation
And Lord of my life
Lord of the land and the sea
You were Lord of the heavens 
Before there was time
Lord of all lords You will be

We bow down and we worship You Lord
We bow down and we worship You Lord
We bow down and we worship You Lord
Lord of all lords You will be
(Twila Paris, 1989)

Reflect.
1. How do you think about the sovereignty of King Jesus? What do you see? Imagine?

2. Why should the sovereignty of Jesus lead us to be courageous in working our Personal Mission Field?

3. Whom will you encourage today to rest and rejoice in the sovereignty of Jesus?

Now He is leading them into a greater degree of challenge. Now He is not even present to them. He has departed. In midsea He permits a storm to arise. This was all for their training, that they might not look for some easy hope of preservation from any earthly source. John Chrysostom (344-407),  The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 50.1

Pray Psalm 29.3-11.
Rejoice in the Lord’s sovereignty and power, and commit your day to serving Him in all you do.

Sing Psalm 29.3-11.
Toulon: I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art
Over the waters, over thunder’s roll,
God’s voice creation’s mighty pow’rs controls!
Cedars collapse at His majestic Word;
nations are shaken by our mighty LORD!

God speaks and lightning streaks across the sky;
by His decree He shakes the desert dry.
Speak, LORD, and life to beasts and men is giv’n.
Forests dissolve, and glory rings in heav’n.

Sovereign, the LORD sat o’er the raging flood;
sovereign forever rules our gracious God!
God will His people bless with strength and peace:
LORD, may Your holy Word to us increase!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

We invite you to join us in ReThinking Church. We explain further at our ReThinking Church page, here.

Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast is into a new series of readings from our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter concludes our series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column considers questions all church leaders must address. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.