“Come,” has become a profound word to me. That word was the beginning of the journey I am going on. It was the word that I heard that morning as I sat on my porch. If you haven’t read that story in my previous post, you might want to read it first.
The gospels record words of Jesus, as well as recording what he was doing. Many Bibles use red letters to distinguish what Jesus said. The Sermon on the Mount is one example. It started out. “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and began to teach them.” Written in black letters, and after that a bunch of words written in red. In my Bible (which uses big letters) the Sermon on the Mount takes 13 pages, every single word in red. You know, the stories about Jesus are important, the miracles recorded about Jesus are amazing, but the words of Jesus really matter and are just as powerful and relevant today as they were on that mountside. I love the words of Jesus. I love the red words.
One day several months after my stroke, I was reading the Bible. I was reading the gospel of Matthew, and I noticed one word. It was red. One word in red. It was on the next page. It was a story about Jesus, all of it was written in black letters, but in the middle of the story, one red word. It piqued my interest for two reasons, one because it was unusual, generally when Jesus is talking he is speaking in sentences, or paragraphs. But the main reason was that the word was, “Come”.
The story was a well known account about Jesus walking on water. The disciples were on a boat, and they saw someone walking on the lake. And they were terrified, thinking it was a ghost. Jesus called them and one of the disciples named Peter said, “tell me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus said “Come”(one red word). So Peter got up and he walked on water, for a while anyway, until he became afraid and he began to sink. And immediately Jesus reached out and caught him”.
Jesus told Peter to come, Peter responded to his call, and Peter walked on water. I guess that sort of like what happened to me, Jesus told me to come. I responded to his call. And I…..I guess the analogy ends there. Or does it. Did Peter walk on water by himself, or was it because of God? Or was it because of his response, he said yes to God’s call. Did He walk on water because Jesus said “come” and Peter said yes.
I haven’t done anything miraculous, I haven’t walked on water. But I had asked Jesus to help me. And he said “come.” And I said yes. I am not sure what it will mean. I don’t know if something miraculous is going to happen. And I am not sure if I want it to happen anyways, because I am sort of terrified. I am terrified to leave what I know and step out on the water. I am terrified and excited.
There was something that was shared at church several years ago by the worship leader. She felt like God told her to say this. “Relinquishing the known for the unknown.” And this verse, He will be a sure foundation for your times; a rich store of treasure and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. Isaiah 33.6 I didn’t really understand what it meant. But I wrote it down and made it a slide for my screensaver.
I have a couple dozen slides for my screensaver, pictures of lions and butterflies and houses and nature and some verses, and they rotate every 15 min. and I don’t pay much attention to them. But today I thought of that saying. The meaning now seems so apparent, at least to me. To relinquish what we know means that we leave what we know. That has to happen, or else we are sitting on a boat instead of following his call. So I am getting off the boat.
I began with the statement that this word “come” was the beginning of the journey I am going on. And I realize how true that was. I started a journey that began 53 years ago, when as a 10 year old kid I heard God’s voice. Not audible, not in words, but there in my heart. And I stood up and walked forward at the altar call and I asked Jesus into my heart. Jesus had called me with that same word, come. And I said yes. I didn’t understand what it meant. I was a child. And here I am an old man, and I am still trying to understand what it means.
As I reflect over my life, I can hear God calling me over and over again. Usually I didn’t hear his voice, or I ignored it. I wish I had said yes more often. But sometimes I responded. One step at a time. Guess that is how to make a journey, step by step. I feel after 50 years that I am only beginning my journey. I wish I had said yes every time he called me. That is what I am going to do, said yes.
I don’t know if I have said anything profound. But it is so profound in my head and my heart. And my advice is this: If you can hear his voice, say yes.
