This story appears in FCA Magazine’s July/August 2016 issue. Subscribe today!
The Olympics can be fascinating, particularly the opening and closing ceremonies. They’re perhaps the greatest visualization we’ll have on this earth of Revelation 7:9 (NIV), which describes “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” And verse 10 goes on to describe how loud that multitude will be as we join together to praise Jesus! It can give you chills when you think about that moment.
Similar moments will occur this summer when the greatest athletes in the world come together to compete in front of thundering crowds. But, I often think about the many moments of silence that led them there.
I’ve said it before, but greatness is carved in empty stadiums. No lights, no cameras, no people. Just training in smelly weight rooms, barren roads, high altitudes, scorching heat or frigid cold, enduring through early mornings, late nights, injuries and thoughts of quitting.
Most of us are not Olympic athletes. But, if we are Christ-followers, we can all relate to those moments when the Lord seems silent in the toughest hours. If possible, I encourage you to open your Bible right now and read Matthew 14:22-33.
Jesus had just miraculously fed thousands of people. The disciples had been experiencing hands-on ministry with so many hurting lives. They had “rock star” status because Jesus was healing and helping so many, but there was also opposition closing in on all sides. Jesus’ heroic cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded in prison by Herod. There was a lot of good, bad and ugly going on, and I’m sure the disciples were severely fatigued.
At this crucial time, Jesus made five very intentional decisions:
1. He tells the disciples to get into a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee to another town, apart from Him.
2. He sends the large crowd away.
3. He goes up on a mountain—by Himself—to pray.
4. From the distance, seeing His worn out disciples struggling in a horrible storm, He remains silent.
5. He stays silent but decides to go be with His disciples in the stormy sea.
How could Jesus both care for His disciples and remain silent while they struggled? He could have calmed the sea from atop the mountain and given them instant relief, but He intentionally chose not to.
A good friend recently reminded me that when students are taking a test, the teacher is silent but present. It’s a great illustration, but it still doesn’t feel great when we’re being tested with injuries, losses or demotions—rowing our small boats against the odds in torrential storms.
So here’s Jesus, walking on top of the Sea of Galilee, and the disciples see Him but don’t recognize Him. They think it’s a ghost and cry out in fear. I believe they didn’t recognize Jesus because they didn’t expect Him to be in the middle of the storm with them in the middle of the night.
As Christ-followers, we must remember He will never leave us, no matter what (Matthew 28:20). When there is broken fellowship with Jesus, there will be fear. But Jesus never breaks fellowship—only we do. Even in the silence, Jesus is right there with the disciples, connecting with them. In their screams of fear Jesus says to them, “It is I. Take courage. Don’t be afraid.”
Peter, realizing it is truly Jesus, prays to Him. Some might not consider this a “prayer,” but prayer is simply connecting with God, speaking or listening to Him at any time and in any situation. Peter speaks to God the Son, asking for an invitation to be with Him. Peter desires intimacy with Jesus. When that happens, Peter is at his best. We all are. And in true “gold medal winning” style, Peter lives out that intimacy and does something he could never do on his own, walking with Him on the water! But then, sadly, he breaks fellowship with Jesus, getting distracted by outside circumstances and sinking before Jesus lovingly rescues him.
Through this famous story, we learn that Jesus will always be intimately close to us. When He chooses to be silent, it’s only to quietly reveal His glory through the test. Eventually, the disciples learned to trust Jesus through their trials—even to their death. We grow strong and mature when we are trained to trust Jesus through the tests, rather than apart from them.
As Jesus reveals His glory and we go to where He is (even in the middle of what everyone else considers danger), it’s there we are at our best, maximizing our athletic potential, which is a gold medal in God’s eyes.
There will be Olympic glory and great human storylines at these Summer Games. But the greatest story of glory is that of Jesus. Even when He seems silent in your life in the middle of extreme challenges, that silence is golden as He reminds you He will never leave you. He always shows up. HE IS GOD. And He wants you to courageously join Him and maximize your potential as the onlooking world stares in amazement at the unbroken fellowship you have with Him.
-FCA-