Welcome to Day 21 of Journey to the Cross, a 40-day devotional leading to Easter. Today we look at unexpected places. Our reading comes from Matthew 14.

[Jesus] said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on water and came to Jesus.

Matthew 14:29

Unexpected places make a journey memorable. Maybe you didn’t expect to find a great meal at a dingy diner outside of town. Maybe an unexpected detour leads you to a breathtaking overlook. On our trip back from California, we went to the Grand Canyon. Our original route was going to go back on Interstate 40, but my wife wanted to go to the Four Corners monument. The fastest way to get there was to go further north. This unexpected route took us along some pretty impressive sights that we would have missed if we were on I-40.

When Peter woke up that morning, he probably expected it to be a day much like any other. But over the course of just a few hours, Peter saw Jesus feed five thousand men (plus women and children). Peter and the other disciples went across the Sea of Galilee to the other side while Jesus dismissed the crowds. Then Jesus came to them in the middle of the night, walking on the water. The disciples thought He was a ghost, but Peter ended up walking on water with Jesus! I am sure that Peter was not expecting that by the end of the day he would be outside his boat, walking on the water.

Your journey with Jesus will take you to places you do not expect. Some of those places will be extraordinary. You will find yourself at the foot of Jesus’s cross receiving His forgiveness. You will regularly find yourself in a place to share God’s mercy with others. Fear and trepidation will often be there with you, but so will Jesus. He will walk alongside you into every new and unexpected place to which He leads you.

Today as you pray, say something like: “Lord, help me hear and obey when you say “Come!” Quiet my questions and increase my faith and obedience.

Thank you for joining me for Day 21. Join me tomorrow for a place of peace and a time of reflection.