DON'T LOOK AWAY

Matt. 14:29b-30a  So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink.  “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.  Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him.  NLT

      When you are looking around you, you are not looking ahead of you.  It sounds simple enough, but it’s hard for us to do.  We are prone to notice most all that is crashing in around us.  We see the magnitude of our storms.  We become overwhelmed by all that is going wrong and that is all we can think about.  Instead, we should be keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.

      When we keep our focus on Jesus, the storms lose their strength.  They may not go away, but their impact on us is minimized.  As long as we are focused on the Lord, we understand the bigger picture of life.  We understand that our storms will pass away, that there is always something better in store for us if we persevere through them.

       Peter did not give a thought to the possibility that what he was doing was impossible.  All he thought about was Jesus and His invitation to come.  He did not consider the fact that he might not make it to Jesus.  All that mattered was getting out of his comfort zone and going.  We need to be just as willing to go to Jesus when He calls us.

       Peter had the faith, but he made a very bad mistake.  He took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the storm and the impossibility of what he was trying to do.  Peter was shaken by what he was trying to do and believed the lie that he could not do it.  He began to sink and fail the test of his faith.  Yet, to his credit, Peter understood where his help came from.  He called out to Jesus and was not turned away.

      When we call out to Jesus He hears us and answers our call.  He is able to help us, no matter how big the storm is we are in.  All we need to do is take a hold of His hand, hold on tight, and let Him take us out of our storm.