The Storm Prayer ( Lisa)

Dear Lord,

I am praying on storms, the kind of tempests, the apostles piled in a boat and met while out fishing. Seeming very alone and adrift, they were rocking the highs and lows as best they could, until…there You were, floating, walking on water. There You were walking the walk with them all along. They all misread you, taking you for a mirage, a ghost, anything but You, the Son of God, until one man, full of faults and doubts took the brave step and responded to Your call to collaborate.

Come, You said and he took that step and tried but floundered, sinking in the waters. I can hear Your voice and see Your face, O ye of little faith… as YOU, of course, reach out Your hand and save him. You hold not an angry or reproachful face, but rather a loving fatherly one with a gentle smile, chiding Peter in all his beautiful humanness. In the end, it took Peter’s imperfectly brave try to help his brothers in the boat proclaim, You must be the Son of God! You would have saved Peter had he never taken a step out of the boat, in fact You already had. Peter was acting as a collaborative child of God, the kind of child You call all of us to be, helping others to believe.

Dear Lord, I am thinking of life, of how we are all in the same boat, riding out our own particular waves of life. Help us to meet our storms, stepping out into the highs and lows, knowing that You will be right there beside us all along the way. Help us to be Peter, to believe enough to take that imperfect step when we are in our tempest rains, to live life as if it is all true, because it is. You ARE the Son of God and You will never let us fail, no matter what. Help us to collaborate with you to help others to believe, not in what we say but in how we live our lives, in faith and joy with You.

Dear Lord, I am praying for a friend. He has been collaborating with You for a long time. He is following so closely in Peter’s steps, walking the walk with You. He is such a beautiful human being. Help his doubts. Help him to always see You, for who You are. All those moments in his life? the incidences, coincidences, awareness moments, the prophetic things people say to him, seemingly unaware – and yet HE is very aware of the hidden-in-plain-sight messages of You? Help him to know that ALL this is You, not a mirage or imaginations. Every sign of hope and joy and love – all of it is YOUR hand reaching out to his. Help him to know this and be comforted by it.

I ask this of You, Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God.

In gratitude for all prayers answered,

Amen