" Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on to the other side of the sea while He dismissed the crowd. Then, after the crowd had gone, Jesus went up to the mountaintop alone (as He had intended from the start). As evening descended, He stood alone on the mountain, praying. The boat was in the water, some distance from land, buffeted by waves and wind. Deep in the night, when He had concluded His prayers, Jesus walked out on the water to His disciples in their boat. The disciples saw a figure moving toward them and were terrified.
Disciple: It's a ghost!
Another Disciple: A ghost? What will we do?
Jesus: Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.
Peter: Lord, if it is really You, then command me to meet You on the water.
Jesus: Indeed, come.
Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water and began walking toward Jesus. But when he remembered how strong the wind was, his courage caught in his throat and he began to sink.
Peter: Master, save me!
Immediately Jesus reached for Peter and caught him.
Jesus: O you of little faith. Why did you doubt and dance back and forth between following Me and heeding fear?" (Mattew 14:22-31 Voice Translation)
I am reminded of a memory about when I was about twelve years old and my dad took the whole family out to a lake where people liked to sail boats and go fishing. Will and I always loved going on adventures like this so we were all for going on the new sail boat dad had bought at a yard sale. He was really excited to share this outing with us. Dad even bought actual sails and everything. My mom on the other hand, was a little nervous about being out on the water, in a small boat, that from all she knew could be flipped over or could sink easily. To make matters worse, it was kind of a windy day so mom was worried that we would get stuck in a strong current if the wind was too strong. And to top it all off mom's biggest worry was that with her nystagmis, her eyes would make it difficult for her to get in the boat and see well enough to stay on it safely so the wind wouldn't knock them over. When dad finally convinced her to take a lap around the lake with him, she had already siked herself out with every single worry that she could think of about why getting on this boat would be a terrible idea for her. Mom would have preferred to stay on land and fish on the bank rather than get into some tumultuous water that seemed strange and uncertain in the moment. After all, who knows what would have happened if the wind picked up and made the water currents strong enough to get seriously stuck in? The water, however, was smooth despite the wind, and my dad was able to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. And after awhile she began to be at peace and had faith that my dad was going to keep them safe on the water. After she let go of her worries she was able to enjoy herself more.
I mention this story because I imagine that the disciples went through some of the same worries when the wind started blowing against them when Jesus sent them out on the boat. I imagine some of their worries included thoughts like: Is this current to strong for us to handle? What if we never reach our destination? What if we get shipwrecked by the wind? Why did Jesus send us out here if we were going to be met with a storm that we weren't prepared to deal with and didn't see coming? How are we supposed to fight through a storm that has surrounded us on every side and is working against us on every side? And to top off all of these worries, now they have to deal with what they think is a ghost, but was actually Jesus, in the distance walking on the water towards them? I don't know about you, but to me that seems like a lot to be worried about. I don't think anyone could shoulder so many worries all at once, in a situation where there feels like everything around us is nothing but chaos, and be able to fix it on their own.
So many of us these days are dealing with so many worries and traumas that seem to be like that wind pushing against us. Our minds and spirits are like that water the disciples were sailing on, anxious and constantly heeding to fear when we take our focus off of Jesus and onto the inner mental and spiritual chaos, the wind, that threatens to pull us under the waves. So many of us have been through multiple different kinds of trauma, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically, and they have been blowing so hard against us in an unusually intense season of our lives. So many of us have been stuck in a place of isolation, in the middle of our storm, trying to fight against the wind, and our focus has gotten off of Jesus and onto our problems and anxieties and we have heeded to fear because we are tired and we can no longer push against the wind on our own. We have been doing it for years, months, days, hours, or even minutes, and they have worn us down to the point where not only are we out of strength, but we have gotten used to letting fear run our lives. And because we have heeded fear and let it isolate us not only from other Christians in our community who could help lift us up in prayer and walk with us through our healing, but we also have isolated ourselves from Jesus.
We have shifted our focus away from Jesus, and let the wind of fear bring us into spiritual isolation, and that is why so many of us do not have peace.
Listen, you want to stop living in chaos and embrace the peace that only Jesus can give you? Shift your focus. Spend time with Jesus. Commune with him. Crack open your Bible and invite Jesus to the table. Even when you don't feel like it. Even when you feel like your too busy that day. Even when you are weary and have no strength left. Jesus will refresh your soul and give you strength. Even when you have so many doubts and thoughts whirling around in your head and its all you can do to try and keep yourself from drowning underneath the storm. If you keep your focus on Jesus, then you will be able to get that peace that you desire to have and your faith will continue to grow stronger and you will be able to endure the storm with Jesus until his promise and purpose for you in the process of walking through that wind storm becomes clear to you when you finally make it to the other side.
When Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water, he was only able to walk towards Jesus because he kept his focus on him. But when Peter saw the storm and the chaos that surrounded him on the water, he became afraid and let the fear shift his focus so that he was now having to struggle against the wind again by himself, letting that fear isolate him from his focus on Jesus.
Sometimes it is only until we are in a desperate situation, like when Peter began to sink in the water do we realize that we need to return our focus back to Jesus. It is important that even when we do lose focus, because there will be moments when we as imperfect humans will lose focus, that we shift it right back to Jesus. That is why it is important to stay in community with Jesus every day through his word. So that we will not be crushed by the weight of the storm, but rather that we can overcome it by the power of his Spirit living within us.
If you are going through a storm right now, and you are feeling weary from the chaos, and you need some peace and strength today, and you feel that you need to recenter your focus on Jesus, then I invite and encourage you to start by taking a simple step by praying this prayer that Paul writes in Colossians 1:9-14:
"Father, may they clearly know Your will and achieve the height and depth of spiritual wisdom and understanding. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what's more; may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You. Strengthen them with Your infinite power, according to Your glorious might, so that they will have everything they need to hold on and endure hardship patiently and joyfully. Thank you, Father, as You have made us eligible to receive our portion of the inheritance given to all those set apart by the light. You have rescued us from dark powers and brought us safely into the kingdom of Your Son, whom You love and in whom we are redeemed and forgiven of our sins [through His blood]." (Voice Translation)
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