6th July 2026

6th July 2026


As way of introduction for this weeks devotions, ie Today, Wednesday and Friday which are normally Alan’s, you’ll notice it’s not Alan but it is our Summer Assistant Philipp Jaeschke who is working with Lissara and Edengrove over the summer. We didn’t want to break him with the workload and get our pound of flesh but we did want to give him a varied experience of what ministry is like in Lissara and Edengrove. Since he’s preaching on Sunday in Lissara he was willing to try his hand at the daily devotions. We hope that they are a blessing to you. 


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 14:22-36)


Message (Philipp Jaeschke) 


As a child I used to read a Bible comic book called ‘The Picture Bible’. Published almost 50 years ago, in my opinion it's still the best Bible comic book out there. Many of the pictures have left a lasting impression on me and come to mind instantly when I read a particular passage in the Bible. One of those is the picture of the disciples in their boat on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night, rowing wildly against the raging storm as they make their way painfully slowly across the lake. Then suddenly they see Jesus walking towards them on the water. 


Their initial reaction is terror, thinking they’re seeing a ghost. The Greek word used here for ‘ghost’ is phantasma, which is where we get our word ‘phantom’ from. But Jesus quickly reassures them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”


Jesus came to his disciples when they weren’t expecting it. They were doing exactly what he had instructed them to do. They were going ahead of him across the lake to meet him later on the other side. Sure, the going was rough and progress was slow. But several of them were experienced fishermen. They knew the lake well and they were confident that they were perfectly able to handle this common springtime storm. The text doesn’t give us any indication that they felt unable to cope or were beginning to feel desperate for their lives.


We should be able to relate well to the disciples’ experience here. As Christian believers we have been called to be followers of Jesus, to make his name known in the world and to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” in which we have been placed. And of course we want to live up to this calling and expectation. We don’t want to disappoint Jesus. And so we go about our lives with a sense of duty and intentionality. We’re hard-working, responsible yet generous with our money, we’re committed to volunteer work, we try to be kind and attentive to others. But it can all become quite strenuous and we often struggle to keep going, even though we want to.


In the Great Commission Jesus instructs us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). But he doesn’t just leave it at that. He knows that this involves hard work and self-sacrificing commitment on our part. And so he also adds this promise to what he has commanded us to do: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).


When Jesus comes to his disciples, walking across the choppy waters of Lake Galilee, he is already pointing ahead to this promise that he will be making to them. It’s important that his disciples understand that in everything they do, he sees them and he will be with them. They need not feel discouraged by adverse circumstances. Jesus is not a ruthless CEO who cares only about charts and numbers. He cares about them. He sees their daily challenges and he wants to get involved, even when they think they can just about cope themselves. Let us be encouraged by this passage to pray more intentionally for God to help us even with the common challenges of our everyday life.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q5 Are there more Gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
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