Pacific Ocean waves crash into the shore in Big Sur, California.
I tend to value comfort, safety and security for myself and my family. Of course those aren’t bad things, but I think sometimes we can rely on them too much and miss out on a deeper calling from Christ.
God is definitely using a period of transition my wife Amy and I are walking through right now after Amy’s job loss to challenge that tendency in me and to help me grow to trust that Christ alone is enough. To teach me that as long as we seek Him and trust in Him, He will lead us and provide for us. Of course, that’s easier said than done and it’s an everyday surrender for me, but He is revealing a lot to us in this period.
Something I shared on Reboot’s Sipsey Wilderness trip back in May is continuing to resonant strongly with me. It’s the story of Peter walking on the water with Jesus. I want to share it here not only as a testimony but also because it might help you if you find yourself in a difficult situation.
The story in Matthew 14 takes place right after the feeding of 5,000+ with the miracle of loaves of bread and fish.
Right away Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. He had them go on ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Then He sent the crowd away. After He had sent them away, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. The boat was already a long way from land. It was being pounded by the waves because the wind was blowing against it.
Early in the morning, Jesus went out to the disciples. He walked on the lake. They saw Him walking on the lake and were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said. And they cried out in fear.
Right away Jesus called out to them, “Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Julia Pfeiffer Falls and the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, California.
Life is easiest in the boat. It’s relatively safe and secure, and you know what to expect. We know that it will float and provide safety and shelter. Even when the wind and waves of life start to batter you, it is easier to try to stay in the boat and protect yourself.
Think about how easy it is to “stay in the boat” in our own lives. It’s familiar, and we are comfortable. Most of the time my job, my home, my routine and my ministry are like the boat. I’d rather stay in it than have the faith to step out when Jesus and the Holy Spirit call me to something deeper and probably a little uncomfortable for an introverted creature of habit like myself.
Peter’s response to Christ is a key piece to this:
“Lord, is it You?” Peter asked. “If it is, tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come” Jesus said.
So Peter got out of the boat. He walked on the water toward Jesus.
What takes faith is swallowing your fear and responding to Christ’s invitation to get out of the boat and trust in Him above our feelings and circumstances. Peter was bold enough and had enough faith to ask Jesus and step out of the boat onto the water with Him. As a result, Peter did the impossible by human standards – he walked on water.
A mountain lake at Yellowstone National Park.
After stepping out of the boat onto the water, Peter was fine as long as he focused on Jesus and not the circumstances around him, but look what happens when he momentarily takes his eyes off Jesus.
But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid. He began to sink. He cried out, ‘Lord! Save me!’
Right away Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “Your faith is so small!” He said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Jesus didn’t change, but Peter’s immediate perspective of the situation with the wind and the waves led him to doubt and sink. I do this so much in my own life. I lose sight of Jesus in the midst of immediate circumstances and let fear take control. I hear Jesus say so often, “Why do you doubt me?”
What I’m learning through this period is that it takes great faith to answer Jesus’ call and to trust in Him, to focus your eyes on Him instead on the storms of job loss, fear, doubt, sickness, etc. raging all around us. Believe me, this is easier said than done. For me, it is really taking the daily attitude that Christ is enough and surrendering control to Him daily through prayer and reading the Bible. He knows our needs and He is God. We just have to seek Him and trust Him and believe that He is God. We have to believe that He is truly enough and that He will lead us to where He wants us to go.
Reboot Wilderness Adventures 