Scripture Reading:  Matthew 14:22-33   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 towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, 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 towards Jesus.

My dear friends,

The disciples are alone in a boat. Out on a lake is Jesus walking on the water.  At first they are afraid, and think it must be a ghost. But when their Lord reassures them that it is he, Peter asks the Lord to come out to him on the water. Jesus tells Peter, “Come.”, Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water towards Jesus. Volumes have been written and preached on this popular Bible story. It paints a very vivid picture of faith in action. Peter demonstrates a depth of faith and trust in God which all of us would
do well to emulate.   Peter trusted Jesus enough to step out into the deep. With his eyes on Jesus Peter walked the walk of faith.  Our Lord has given us all we need for our own walk of faith.   It is a faith that walks on water.

God bless you,
PT

Scripture Reading:     Matthew 6:6     But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

My dear friends,

Prayer in community is invaluable but private prayer is essential.  Our hearts long to be alone with God.  We need the solitude of a cave, a darkened room, or an empty church.

There is another room we need to enter.  It is an interior room.  It is the inner room of our hearts.  Our minds are cluttered with thoughts; our hearts are filled with longing; and our feelings jumbled and raw.  When we enter this interior room, we meet God who is already there to greet us.  When we close the doors and windows of our hearts, we enter a place where God is alone with us and we are in communion with God.  And we are at one with ourselves.

Scripture Reading:   Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of death, I fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

My dear friends,

If this isn’t my favorite psalm, it is at least in the top two. I sing it many times every day. I wake up to its refrain and when I am driving I will notice it being sung in my mind. As I was on the gurney waiting to be wheeled into surgery last year, the psalm sang itself in my heart. That’s the thing about the psalms.  They never get old. Psalm singers may grow old but the psalms themselves are fresh every time they are said or sung. I like to sing the psalms. They were meant to be sung out loud.  I have taught many folks to sing the psalms.  If you learn just one psalm tone, you can sing almost any psalm. If you take the time to memorize a psalm, I know you won’t regret it.

God go with you,
PT