A sermon on Matthew 14:22-33; Jesus walks on water

By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
HCP columnist

St. Mark offers a detail in the story of Jesus walking on the water that gets overlooked. Mark wrote, "And seeing them struggling to row, (for the wind was against them,) and about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking upon the sea." 

I am comforted that Jesus sees my struggles, when the winds of life are against me. I find peace in my faith that God watches over me. His protective love surrounds me. 

Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." 

The "fourth watch" starts at 3 o'clock in the morning which is the darkest part of the night. During a dark time in my life when I felt alone, when I didn't know what God wanted me to do, is when He spoke to me. I looked up to the sky and saw a multitude of shining stars on this moonless night. I heard God whisper to me, "In the darkest night I shine most bright," over and over again. The more I heard this, the more I felt peace that God was protecting me, that I was not alone, that He would show me His plan for my life. The peace I felt came from my belief God was watching over me the entire time.  

I have learned what God's Divine protection means. It doesn't mean He prevents the storm from coming. It means He preserves me through the storm. Jesus has authority over all my storms. When I reach up to Jesus and cry out, "Lord save me," I believe His strong hand reaches down to hold my hand and lift me up above anything that threatens my well being.

It is my experience that God chooses to reveal Himself more in ordinary ways than spectacular ways. In God's mountain at Horeb, Elijah took shelter in a cave. The Lord told Elijah He would be passing by. There was a heavy wind, a strong earthquake and a large fire. God was not in any of these. Instead, there was a tiny whispering sound. Elijah hid his face because he knew that was the Lord. God is there for you in the ordinary, everyday moments of life. The problem is that we fail to see God in the tiny sound because we expect the spectacular.

The story of Hagar and Ishmael shows how God is always present, always watching over his children when they are most in need. Cast out from Abraham's household with her son, Ishmael, Hagar wandered in the wilderness. When their water ran out in the scorching desert, she placed her son under a bush, then walked away, unable to watch him die of thirst.

In this moment of utter despair, God's protection arrived. "God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.'" (Genesis 21:17.) 

The Lord not only heard his cries but opened Hagar's eyes to see what had been there all along – a well of water. "Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink" (Genesis 21:19). At Children's Hospital, the "well of water" is the parents and nurses and many caregivers who are always there to comfort children crying out in pain. God uses their hands as His hands to quench their thirst for healing and dry the tears of their suffering.  

Peter walking on the water was an extraordinary miracle. But God can use even the most ordinary things to produce the most extraordinary blessing. I call them "Wow moments." 

My friend Jeff calls them "God winks." There is a true World War II story of a Marine who got separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. Alone in that cave he could hear the enemy soldiers coming in his direction. He knew they were searching the caves. When they find him, they would kill him. He whispered a desperate prayer to God, "Please protect me." As he lay in the cave, he saw a spider weaving a web. He thought, "I need a brick wall and God sends me a spider web."

The enemy soldiers approached his cave where he hid in the dark. The Marine was ready to die fighting. He was amazed when they did not enter but passed him by. He then realized with a spider web at the cave's entrance it looked like no one had ever entered it. God used an ordinary spider and its web to save his life.

Albert Einstein wrote, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Choose the latter. Blessings...Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike Paraniuk is a Priest Chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. His sermons can be heard live over WLRU Radio 106.9 FM on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.