Daily Devotional For Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Good morning Southside and thank you for taking time to spend some time with the Lord today. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew and today we pick up where we left off yesterday. Look at Matthew 14:22-36:
“Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that His disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while He sent the people home. (23) After sending them home, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. Night fell while He was there alone. (24) Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. (25) About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. (26) When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’ (27) But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ He said. ‘Take courage. I am here!’ (28) Then Peter called to Him, ‘Lord, if it’s really You, tell me to come to You, walking on the water.” (29) ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. (30) But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. (31) Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt Me?’ (32) When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. (33) Then the disciples worshiped Him. ‘You really are the Son of God!’ they exclaimed. (34) After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. (35) When the people recognized Jesus, the news of His arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. (36) They begged Him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of His robe, and all who touched Him were healed” (NLT).
We are making our way through this section of Matthew and we are attempting to look at it in depth. The Greek text implies they were taking on water from this storm. Jews were terrified to go out on the Sea of Galilee at night due to the unpredictability of storms. This sea sits over 600 feet below sea level. With rising high mountains to the west, by the time fishermen in day time saw the storm cresting the mountain top, it was too late to get off the sea in time. For Jesus’ disciples to be out on the Sea of Galilee at night had them on edge way before the storm hit.
The other Gospels tell us the disciples pulled down the sails in an attempt to keep control of the boat. By the time Jesus got to them, they had been rowing the entire night, only going 3-4 miles max. Mt. Hermon rises 9,200 feet to the north, and strong northerly winds often plummet down the upper Jordan Valley with great intensity and force. When these winds are met with the warmer air over this 600 feet below sea level bowl, the intensity increases even more. Hitting the cliffs on the eastern shore, the winds swirl and twist, causing the waters beneath them to churn violently.
The Sea of Galilee is the lowest fresh water lake in the world. It is 33 miles across in circumference, 21 miles long and 8 miles wide. The lake is partly fed by underground water springs and the Jordan River. The fact that they come quickly and with little warning makes the storms all the more dangerous and frightening. Mark’s Gospel gives us the impression that their boat was about to sink from taking on so much water. Here is a link that shows its topography. You will have to scroll down through this link to see it: Topography of the Sea of Galilee.
The actual Greek text says this was happening during the 4th watch, which would be between 3:00 AM – 6:00 AM. Thinking they had left Jesus back on the mountain, seeing Him coming walking on the water towards them convinced them they were seeing a ghost. The actual Greek New Testament word used here is [φάντασμα, phantasma], where we get our English word phantom. Through this terrifying experience Jesus was about to let them experience one of their most memorable blessings. It is through these dreadful experiences that God does the same for us. Tomorrow we will look at Peter and his miraculous walk on the water. I want to leave you with the words of New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton:
“When Jesus arrived, He made a huge difference! Because of Jesus—all He taught, all He did—your life is different now! You’re not alone, and you’re not lost. You have a heavenly Father, a living Savior, and a present helper, and the Holy Spirit. All the problems that beset you are now theirs as well. Lest we forget, try this. At the end of a phone conversation, instead of “good-bye” say “courage!” Gently, softly, remind one another of what Jesus gives us. In the face of every trouble, every heartbreak, every troubling diagnosis … courage!” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 295).
In Judaism the sea was often a metaphor for the powerful forces of evil due to its powerful, uncontrollable and unpredictable nature. In Matthew 8, Jesus cast demons out of a man and sent them into a herd of swine. These swine ran off a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told His disciples to not be afraid. This reminds me of Isaiah 43:1-3. Jesus said, “I am here.” “I am” – we sing a song called “The Great I Am”. This was a reference all the way back to Moses in Exodus when God got Moses’ attention with the burning bush. Before Moses will go to Egypt, we read this in Exodus 3:13-14:
“Then Moses said to God, ‘Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” (14) God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (NASB).
This is the Hebrew word Yahweh.” John’s Gospel gives us 7 specific “I am” sayings by Jesus in John 6:35, John 8:12, John 10:9, John 10:11, John 11:25, John 14:6 and John 15:1. The very same God who called and talked to Moses and brought 10 plagues on Egypt, freed the Hebrews, gave them the Law and Old Testament and The Promised Land is the very same God who spoke to them as He walked on the water. This was proof that Jesus was the Messiah because Jews believed that the Messiah would have power over nature.
Assignment: Jesus sought solitude with God the Father often. How much more should we? How much time of solitude do you set aside for the Lord and you? Do you tend to wait for storms to hit you before you call out to God? The same Jesus who walked on the sea controlled the sea. Where in your life do you need Jesus to calm a storm?
Scripture To Meditate On: Revelation 1:17-18, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead. But He laid his right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. (18) I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave’” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I have storms in my life I need you to calm. Some are by my own hand and some by others. Lord, I need You. I believe that You Jesus, Yahweh, who parted the Red Sea can calm my seas. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! -- Pastor Kelly