Matthew 14:29-31 (NKJV)
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the
boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw
that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he
cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched
out His hand and caught
him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Are you willing to stretch out your hand to another to offer help? I have a saying which is “two people working together can accomplish as much as five people working alone.” It is called synergy. I have a friend with whom I have worked over the years who knows how I think (as warped as that might be) and can most times anticipate my next move and be there to help. His efforts make my work easier, faster and better. Do you have a friend like that?
Jesus tells us in John 15:5 He is the Vine and we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Today, Jesus asks us to be His hands and feet in this world. We are supposed to help each other. Things go better when we do. Angela Pipersburg from the Kingdom Chamber coined a phrase called “coopetition” which highlights synergy. It is always better when we help and serve one another.
One of the sites we visited on our pilgrimage to Israel was the Tomb of the Holy Sepulcher. We waited more than an hour to get in to the tomb. They let five people inside at a time and rushed us back out as the line was long. My friend Rob went into the vestibule with me. The opening to the actual tomb was about three feet high and two feet wide. You had to crawl in if you wanted to see the place where Jesus body lay. When Rob saw it, he panicked saying he could not bend down that far to get in. I always think about solutions and how the task can be accomplished. With that in mind, I leaned down toward Rob, stuck out my hand and backed in to the small opening. Locking our arms together, we became sort of an arch supporting each other and made it inside. We both got to touch the place where Jesus lay and then we backed out the same way.
To hear Rob tell the story later, he saw a hand come out from the opening reaching toward him and decided to take it. Our Lord Jesus uses our hands to reach out to those He wants to help. It was a God moment. Serving the Lord allowed us to both enjoy fellowship with Him in that sacred place. What divine appointments has He offered you lately? Have you accepted His offer? I have come to a place in my Spiritual Journey that I can recognize and respond to the Lord when He calls. I am a little embarrassed. Rob is making a bigger deal of it than I think is warranted. However, if Jesus were there, He would have stretched out His hand. I got the chance to serve Jesus by serving Rob. Thank you Lord Jesus!