walking on water

In Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus walks on water and stills a storm. We tend to focus on Jesus' spectacular feats and Peter's lack of faith. But God called my attention to a couple of other things today.

Jesus spent the night in prayer, listening to his Father. He walked on the water at the direction of his Father. And there were many other times when Jesus prayed and didn't walk on water. My friend Russ Ikeda says that the Christian journey is more about training than trying. Instead of trying to walk on water, I need to be learning to listen to my Father through a daily practice of prayer.

Jesus' words to the disciples in the boat show us that he was aware of their fear and that he spoke first to their fear before calming the storm. Listening to his Father cultivated compassion in Jesus. The miracle was in response to the disciples' fear. Am I becoming more compassionate toward those around me? What is more important to me, compassion or performance?