(Note: The following SOF post was originally written and published on February 24, 2006, and since keeping our eyes on Jesus is always a very important message, especially when we’re going through difficult times, I’ve edited the original message a little and want to share it here again. So be blessed and encouraged!)

Just as sure as we can count on the sun rising and setting every day, we can count on the “storms” of life coming our way from time to time. And we could weather those times so much more peacefully and with so much more grace if only we would realize their purpose, as so well illustrated in Matthew 14:29-32, which says:
“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

This is another passage of scripture that I’ve read or heard preached about so many times that it doesn’t seem possible to find something new in it; yet I have and it’s so simple and so exciting. First, we see that Jesus called Peter to come to Him, as He does to all of us all the time. But in this case, He asked Peter to come to Him by walking on the water, which in our human understanding is impossible. Yet that’s what Jesus asked and EXPECTED Peter to do, and Peter had the faith that enabled him to do what seemed impossible. Then, as long as he kept his eyes off the circumstances of his life at that time, which was the storm raging around him, and walked TOWARD Jesus, he was able to do the impossible. But once he took his eyes off of the Lord and obedience to doing what the Lord had asked him to do, he started sinking into the water. And that’s exactly what happens to us when we focus on our spouses or any trial or tribulation instead of our determination to be obedient to what we know the Bible teaches us, and that’s when we usually fall down and give up. Even though we falter, as we all do from time to time, there’s a lot more to the story, because we still don’t have to drown.

Peter understood that he was drowning and in his moment of helplessness, he called out to Jesus to save him. And Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached out His hand and saved him. I never thought of it before, but if Peter had not started sinking, he would have just walked across the water and even though that would have been an amazing, God glorifying miracle, the difference in the two outcomes in Peter’s life and heart would have been very significant. If he had not started drowning, he probably would have had a big head and been quite proud of himself without much thought of giving the Lord the praise and honor He deserved. But since he was drowning, and the Lord lifted him up and saved him, he was left with very little pride and with nothing but a desire to sing Jesus’ glory and to worship Him, and you know his faith had to grow by leaps and bounds in that moment.

Just like Peter, we CAN walk on water when we step out in faith and obedience to do what the Lord calls us to do, no matter how impossible or difficult it may seem. And based on Jesus’ reply, only a lack of faith and doubt keeps us from doing that, which is what causes us to drown. So maybe it’s important to realize that the storms of our lives are a test. First, it’s a test to reveal to us if we really have the faith needed to do what God calls us to do as Christians, and then it’s a test to see what we will do when we realize that in and of ourselves, we can’t do it. We often start out with very good intentions and with a lot of hope, but the winds and rains of our circumstances tend to wear us down and we get discouraged or tired, so we just want to give up. If we do that, who is glorified? Certainly not Jesus.

However, if we call on Jesus to save us when we’re helpless and drowning in the midst of our storm, He will rescue us, and when He comes onboard, the storms will quiet and the circumstances around us will come under His control. And when that happens and everyone we know sees how the Lord worked to save us in our “impossible” situation, He will be glorified and others will be led to worship Him.

So we know from what these verses tell us that if we’re walking toward Jesus by being obedient to His word and the call He has on our life, the difficult times we face are merely tests of our faith and create opportunities to glorify the Lord so others will be led to recognize Him as the Son of God and their Lord and Savior. Therefore, in addition to being important to consider whether or not we’re keeping our eyes on Jesus, we need to consider who will be keeping their eyes on us; especially when it is our own children and the spouses we so desperately want to be saved and delivered!

Posted Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 8:10 pm in Seeds Of Faith.