Walking or Sinking?

We had come to the end of the service

It was time for us to leave

It had been quite a long day

And we needed to be relieved.

We marveled at the master’s energy,

How he could go and go and go

Just like the “energizer bunny”

But no part of it was show.

Well he told us to board the ship

And head off to the other side

Then he sent the people away

And headed off to some place to hide.

He would do this on occasions

It was his way of coming apart

At the end of which he would appear again

And bright and early make a start.

This time he went up in a mountain

There, his Heavenly Father to meet

And the communion they shared together

Was refreshing, encouraging and sweet.

Well when the evening had come

We were in the midst of the sea

When all of a sudden there appeared

A very troubling mystery.

The winds had grown contrary

And the waves were billowing high,

As sea faring as we thought we were

We felt our demise was nigh.

But all of a sudden we spied

Through the gloom of impending disaster

A ghost, it had to be

Came walking on the water.

Can you imagine such robust fishermen

Being troubled by a silly ghost?

Well this was no time to play hero

And it was certainly no time to boast.

We all cried out in fear

For we did not know what to do,

I hear you giggle but if you were there

You would have been terrified too.

Straightway we heard a voice,

It was like music upon the air,

“Be of good cheer; it is I,” it said

But we were still gripped by fear.

Someone in the ship had an idea

But he wanted to be sure

Whether it was who he thought it was

So he could remain transfixed no more.

“Lord, if it be you,” he then called out

“Bid me to come to thee.”

What transpired then was kind of crazy

But that too was a mystery.

“Come,” the response came o’er the wind,

We all heard it without a doubt

So my friend, usually the bravest among us

Climbed over the side and stepped out.

What I saw with my two eyes

I tell you, I just could not believe,

I saw him walk on the water too

But I felt my senses had taken leave.

 

He was doing fine as he began to walk

But looked at the wind and the spray,

Just as quickly he began to sink

From the master he had looked away.

But immediately Jesus reached out

And holding his hand

Had calmly rebuked him

For diverting from the plan.

If he had kept his eyes on the Master

He would have walked all the way

But his focus on the boisterous wind

Gave his problem the greater say.

Many begin well in the Christian walk

But Satan’s offers cause them to rethink,

They are lured away by the devil’s ploy

Their walk is affected and they start to sink.

We need to keep our eyes on Jesus

And away from the waves and the wind

For to focus on the problems

Is to dangle precariously from a limb.

A limb that cannot hold one up

And a grip that’s quickly loosening,

Soon to be plunged in the murky depths

That’s not walking but sinking.

If today this is your plight

Like Peter, call out with all your might

Jesus is ready, willing and able,

He can put all wrong things right.

Then keep your eyes upon the Saviour

Walk steadily onward to the light,

He will never fail nor leave you,

He has never lost a fight.

Walking or sinking is the question today

You must answer without delay,

If you must keep the devil at bay

Turn not aside but stay in the way.

Stewart Russell © August 2017