Another prayer mountain

Matthew 14:22-25 NKJV

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. [23] And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. [24] But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. [25] Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

One of the greatest privileges in my life is to have visited the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) on many occasions.

I've stood on the Golan, Mount Arbel, Al Magor, Mt Beatitudes -all the mountains surrounding that Sea.

So I can literally picture Jesus' prayer vantage point overlooking His disciples who were grappling with the stormy Galilee waters.

As He prayed, He could clearly see that they were in troubled waters - indeed He had purposefully sent them ahead, knowing that a storm was coming!

Yet He was in no hurry - His purpose was to help them recognise His Divinity and Authority over nature - and, to do that, they needed to be exposed to extreme conditions, where only God could help.

His intervention is delayed until the forth watch (somewhere between 3am to 6am).

I have witnessed a Galilee storm during the night - it's pretty awesome. We were staying in a lodge right on the shore of the Kinneret. Suddenly something like loud gunshots woke me. My first thought was "is there any attack from Syria?"

But no, it was thunder over the Sea.

As I lay there in bed, I thought of the disciples out there in a boat, trying to make progress in a storm - feeling deserted by Jesus, probably bickering among themselves - panicking!

Was I wrong to see a smile on Jesus' face as He waited and waited before coming to save them?

The disciples felt out of their comfort zone (even though some had fished those waters for a living).

Just when it seemed all was lost, Jesus came to them, walking on the very waves that were swamping them.

What a life lesson for us, when we feel forsaken by the Lord. The trial assaulting us was ordained by Him to show up His Divinity and Power.

Jesus has tenderly watched over you, though you didn't know it, prayed for you, though you didn't feel it.

When you'd given up, He came down to you, Lord over those angry waves, stilling them and bringing His calming Presence.

All the while Jesus has been praying for you from His heavenly vantage point.

Selah.