Saturday, February 12, 2011
Matthew 14:30-31 And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.
DON'T LOOK DOWN
If I were to ask you to walk across an eight inch wide board that would not be much of a challenge. Some could it with their eyes closed, or even run across it. If I were to ask you to walk across a beam that wide or even wider fifty feet off the ground, there would be considerably fewer that would be able to do so. The only thing that has changed is the location, but that's enough. It is almost impossible to put it out of your mind that you're up in the air. You think about falling, or even worse -- landing. The adage is, "Don't look down," thinking that if you concentrate on what is ahead of you rather than what is beneath you, you'll be able to make it.
Peter made the mistake of looking down when he was out walking on the water to Jesus. When this happened he began to sink. Just as a person might freeze up on the heights, Peter realized exactly where he was -- on top of the water. That's a long way down. At that point he saw only the negatives, and he was not thinking about Jesus being right there with him.
There are distractions for Christians in this life -- financial woes, illnesses, persecutions. When we lose focus and panic with all the threats around us, we too may cry out, "Lord save me!" When faith looks to Jesus it is richly rewarded. Jesus reaches out to us, and rescues us no matter what the situation. There is not one crisis that he cannot help with, either by changing the situation, or as may happen just as often, giving us the ability to handle it, comforting us, and giving us peace. When Jesus says to us, "Don't be afraid," He means it. There is no reason to be frightened because He is right there with us and will not let us drown in a sea of despair.
