I finally bought a new car, which means I am back to driving during rush hour. Also, I just recently moved to Maryland, which means I am a Maryland commuter. Yesterday, I drove a new way to my destination. It was crazy. I mean really crazy. Some in the DC Metro area say that Maryland drivers are the worst. From what I’ve seen these last two weeks, I must admit that I can’t disagree. Even though the speed limit down Central Avenue is never higher than 40 MPH, I felt like I was on a racetrack.
As I kept at a steady pace below the speed limit, I watched folks weave in and out of traffic without a care of who was in front, beside or behind them. There was one woman who came barreling down Pennsylvania Avenue with horns blasting because we didn’t move through the green light fast enough for her. She was willing to risk her life, our lives and her nice Mercedes just to save a few minutes.
I said to God that these people were driving like their life depended on it. No one had on their flashers; so, I assumed that no one was trying to get to the hospital, to a dying relative or to a sick loved one. There were driving like they would die if they didn’t do it at the speed of light.
A thought occurred that these people were driving as though the cars they were in, the houses they own, the clothes they wore, the people they supported and the lifestyle they were trying to maintain would all fall apart if they didn’t make it to work on time. Everyone was acting like they were their own providers.
In thinking about how much fear and frustration I saw out there on the roads, I thought of John 6:20. This verse is part of the story where Jesus came to the disciples walking on water. This is not the same instance where Peter comes to him, but the more mysterious version where after the disciples recognize Jesus and wanted to take him into the boat, they immediately reached the shore.
A few things about this text have bearing on the speedsters that were trying to make their way to their morning destination. First, Jesus was walking on water, while the disciples were rowing a boat. Second, as soon as the disciples invited Jesus into the boat, they ended up exactly where they needed to be without doing anything else. Third, this points to Jesus words in John 6:35, when he says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
In short, our fears for provision are banished when we remember that Jesus, the one who can walk on water, is our Provider. When we focus on the Water Walker, we get exactly where we need to be without succumbing to the frustrations of life. Finally, when we put our need for provision in the hands of the Bread of Life, we have everything we need to sustain our lives.
Today, as you reflect, remember that provision is in the hands of the Provider, the Water Walker, the Bread of Life.