Most people have some familiarity with the following passage from Matthew 14:28-33:

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “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.”

Christ’s followers must live each moment of each day by faith, not by what we see, because what we see can easily distort the truth, or distract us from the truth. 

What truth am I referring to? The truth that Jesus declared in John 14:6: ““I am the way and the truth and the life.”

What does faith in God look like? Hebrews 11:1 gives us understanding of true Godly faith: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Please carefully consider the instructions from God in this verse. Faith is an action. An action of confidence and assurance. Confidence in God that when the winds clamor to frighten us, we are not afraid, but assured that God is in control of them. We don’t falter in obeying Him, but look fully into His eyes and move forward.

When Peter began his walk toward Jesus, as detailed in the account above, he had absolute confidence and assurance in Jesus. His faith was based in keeping his focus on Jesus. But Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and that was the beginning of his troubles, and thus, Jesus rebuked him. 

We cannot have both faith and doubt at the same time. Consider what James tells us in James 1:6: “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

From James, do you see what happens when we live in doubt and not faith? The wind tosses us about. 

Consider what happens when a tornado or hurricane brings its fierce winds. There is chaos and disorder. People cannot stand firm. 

This is exactly what happened to Peter, and what happens to us when we take our eyes off of Jesus.

What are the winds that can rise up to distract us from living by faith in Jesus?  Illness, financial struggles, loss of a job, marital struggles, abuse, choices others make that impact us negatively, children who fail to love Jesus, persecution for following Jesus, etc. 

But God is greater than any struggle this world can blow our way. Jesus proved that to Peter when He held Peter by His hand, and safely led him to the boat, walking on the water.

Today, any Christ follower has the permanent indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. His work includes settling us safely when the winds want to frighten and distract us from living confidently and with assurance in Jesus’ love and protection for us.

You and I have a choice to make when the winds of struggles begin to blow our way. We must decide to keep our eyes fully focused on Jesus. 

How do we keep our eyes fully focused on Jesus in the storm?

We remain true to His Word, saturating our lives in His Word as we read and study it daily. 

We obey His commands, without allowing fear to distract us. Peter obeyed Jesus when He told him to “come” to Him.  Obedience requires the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will always aid us as we seek to obey Him. Why might we not trust God for that power? How foolish we are when we fail to live by faith, not trusting the One who created us, and who wants to help us!

We must spend time with others who are truly seeking God. There is plenty of opportunity to be in the midst of people who don’t worship God, but God wants us to gather with other followers of Jesus so that we can be strengthened to walk on the water, without sinking, when the winds threaten to undo us.

What are the winds in your life? Do you keep looking at them, or do you keep your focus on Jesus?

Hebrews 11:6 reminds us why we should live by faith: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

God is not a liar, but always keeps His promises. I can testify that as I’ve walked by faith, not by sight, that God has blessed me in my challenges, and calms the wind, in His perfect timing. He is our Reward. God told that to Abraham in Genesis 15:1, and His promise applies to everyone who truly has a personal relationship with Jesus: “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward”

If you would like to talk and pray with me about the wind in your life, please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

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Copyright 2024 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.