Matthew 14:25-31 (KJV) Says, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt."
In the above passage of scripture notice first that as soon as the disciples cried out in fear Jesus spoke to them and calmed their fear. Note it says when they cried out in fear Jesus answered them "immediately." There are times in all of our lives when we are struck by fear, and when this happens we too can be assured that if we cry out to Jesus, he will calm our fear just as he did for the disciples.
Notice secondly that when Jesus called Peter to come to him, Peter demonstrating great faith stepped out of the boat, and began walking on the water toward him. At first Peter was focused on Jesus and had no difficulty whatsoever walking on the water, but then he allowed himself to become distracted by the strong wind and the storm going on around him. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to focus on the things around him; he immediately began to sink. Afraid and now sinking, Peter cried out to the Lord again desperate for him to save him, and Jesus took his hand and saved him. Jesus pointed out to Peter that he had demonstrated little faith, and doubt. Peter had lost his focus. If he had continued to focus on Jesus putting total faith and trust in him when he stepped out of the boat and began walking on the water, he would not have began sinking.
Like Peter we have all found ourselves in a storm of some type in our lives whether it be the loss of a loved one, divorce, a break-up of a long time relationship, loss of a friendship, rejection, financial issues, and the list goes on and on. When we experience a storm in life no matter the type it can leave us feeling afraid, devastated, and even hopeless at times, if we do as Peter did and take our focus off of Jesus.
When you find yourself in the midst of a storm, I urge you to cry out to God, and to stay focused on him. Put your faith and trust in him and remain steadfast in it. I encourage you to stay focused on him reminding yourself that there is no problem greater than he is, that he is your strength, comforter, protector, shelter in times of trouble, and that he loves you tremendously. When you are walking through a storm of any kind, and you stay focused on God instead of the storm, he will see you through it, and he will not allow you to sink.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!
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