Matteus 14:22

This is the beginning of the story of Jesus walking on water, a story which illustrates the fact that the Lord is present with all who follow him, even those at the most external levels.

The story comes shortly after Jesus heard of the execution of John the Baptist. He had sought to be alone, but the multitudes had followed him, leading to the first miracle of the loaves and fishes. Now he seeks to be alone again, sending the disciples off to cross the Sea of Galilee ahead of him while he sends the people away.

The internal sense is one of separation and transition. The disciples represent those who try to follow the Lord's teachings, and the ship represents a doctrinal system floating precariously in a "sea" of disconnected facts and ideas, in this case ideas held by people in the outskirts of the church.

This is a situation we can all relate to – sometimes we have to trust in what we believe and set off on a journey, even if our beliefs seem rather frail and we don't feel the Lord's presence with us. But they'd been asked to "go before" Him, meaning that they were to prepare the way for Him. And they went.