He Still Walks on WaterÖrnek

When God’s in the Boat
When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the waves calmed, and the winds ceased. Something happens when God’s in the boat. We can chart our course, agonize over the “what-ifs,” and make our plans, but God is still in control. As Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV) says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” God’s plan is bigger than our storm, and His purposes are greater than our circumstances. God will turn them around for our good and His glory.

This is a principle I find woven throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Just look at the formation of the nation of Israel through the twelve sons of Jacob. Jealousy and sibling rivalry led ten of them to toss Joseph into a pit before deciding to sell him to traveling Midianite merchants.

Of course, Joseph might not have been the object of scorn if his father hadn’t played favorites and given him a multi-colored coat while he bragged about his dreams and of ruling over them all (including their dad) one day.

Then there was the oldest son, Reuben, who slept with Jacob’s concubine—a fact Jacob never forgot: “Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—He went up to my couch” (Genesis 49:4, NKJV).

And Judah, who impregnated his daughter-in-law after she tricked him because he didn’t follow Jewish custom and give her his third son as a husband after the first two died. Jealousy, kidnapping, lying . . . their list of sins goes on and on. I doubt that any of us would have chosen this motley crew as the seeds of a great nation, but God knew what He was doing all along.

The way things go in this world proclaims the sovereignty of our God. He has the power and authority to transform every aspect of creation to work on behalf of His children. I mentioned this principle being seen in the formation of Israel, but we can also see God’s hand at work in the life of Joseph. Every struggle, indignity, false accusation, and unjust imprisonment Joseph fought through was part of a bigger plan that he couldn’t see in the moment. Yet it all worked for his good.

Chapter 45 records what happened when Joseph’s brothers come to him to plead for the return of their younger brother, Benjamin, whom Joseph was holding as a ruse to get his father to come to Egypt. After telling everyone else in the room to leave so he could meet privately with his brothers, Joseph revealed his identity and calmed their nerves with these words:

“But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years, the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God.” — Genesis 45:5–8 (NKJV)

Joseph’s words should burn into our spirit: “It was not you who sent me here, but God.”

All the indignities and injustice this innocent man faced were part of God’s plan. These storms would have reduced many of us to tears, but Joseph pronounced them part of God’s plan. The Lord sent the storms for a higher purpose, just like He does today for His children.

God often uses the process of going through the storm as a platform for proclaiming the gospel. Regardless of the decisions that lead us into a storm, God still works on our behalf.

In John 8:44, Jesus called the devil the father of lies. So, whenever we encounter troubles, difficulties, or loss, we can be assured Satan will be there to whisper, “God won’t help because you did this to yourself. This is your fault. You created this mess.” But regardless of the path that led to the storm, He begins to work the moment we give it to Him.

Who will you believe?