To See His Face and Hear His Voice

Don't you sometimes wonder what it would be like to personally walk with Jesus when He was here?  To have been His friend?  To have a physical relationship with Him?  Enjoy His personality, sense of humor, the sound of His voice, the expressions of His face?  I've discovered we can learn to feel closer to Him by paying attention to those who did know Him.

I have been thinking about the apostle Peter, and his relationship with the Lord Jesus.  A story I have grown to LOVE, which illustrates his great love for the Lord, is found at the end of the Gospel of John.  The Resurrected Lord was walking along the shores of the sea as some of His disciples were in a boat, fishing with nets.

4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus ^astood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.  Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

See:  (John 21:4-7)  --King James Version

Peter jumped in the water and swam to greet His Master!  His beloved friend.  What great love.  Just a few days previous, he had denied the Lord three times as Jesus had predicted, then once he realizing this he went out and wept bitter tears of sorrow and shame.  Never again would he deny knowing Jesus.  He was SO excited to know Jesus was the man on the shores, he jumped out of the boat and swam to see Him, to be near Him, possibly to see that familiar smile which He dearly missed, His departed Savior and friend, while the rest sailed back to shore comfortably dry in the boat.  Peter just couldn't wait.  How wonderful!

As I pondered upon this, and many other interactions with those whom were physically close to the Lord, (Mary, Martha, Thomas, his mother, etc) I have felt a deeper love, and greater feeling of knowing Him.  And I admit, I have felt that love returned.

I know He loves and knows each individual even today, right now, in their bedrooms, in their cars, in dark alleys, in office cubicles, He loves us.  Just as He loved His closest friends.