Sit, Stay, Come
- The Narrow Path
- May 10, 2024
- 2 min read
‘“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.’ (Matthew 14:28-29, NIV).
A good friend of mine has been working with a trainer to help with her dog’s obedience issues. He is hyper, and very excitable, which often leads to trouble with following commands.
When I show up to visit, he is usually so excited that he does not follow commands well at all! He has the most trouble with the command stay. Often, my friend has to repeat herself while also holding onto the collar of her dog in order to get him to obey.
Once he demonstrates his ability to listen, she releases him and allows him to greet me. We go through this process every single time I visit, and it reminds me of how I can be with Jesus.
My Bible study group recently listened to and discussed a podcast episode of the story from Matthew about Peter, the disciple of Jesus, walking on water.
The focus has always been that Peter took his eyes off Jesus, and began to drown. The author of the podcast episode, Kristy McLelland, challenges listeners to shift their perspective, and recognize that Peter was the only disciple who had enough courage to step out of the boat.
Matthew 14:28-29 says: ‘“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.’
Have you ever felt Jesus calling you to come, but fear kept you from stepping out of the boat?
My Bible study group shared experiences that evening as we processed the story, and I realized that, at least for right now, Jesus has been giving me the command to stay.
I think so often we share experiences of Jesus calling us out of the boat into something new and scary. But what if he’s asking us to stay? Over the last several months, I’ve found myself feeling like my friend’s dog who was having trouble with the command to stay.
I don’t feel unsettled–I have a wonderful job I love, amazing friends, and my home has been the perfect place for me. But I have been in a place of anticipation, excitement, and feeling ready for Jesus’ next command to come.
We often think of obedience as an action step, but, as one of my friends put it recently, “sometimes staying is the action Jesus is asking of us.”
I want to continue waiting for God’s commands, whether it’s to sit, to stay, or to come. I want to be intentional in prayer to listen for Jesus and continue to wait on His timing for all things.
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