Walking Above The Waves Of Our Circumstances

Walking Above The Waves Of Our Circumstances

“All right, come,” Jesus said. 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. –Matthew 14:29-30

Jesus had sent the disciples ahead in a boat while he went up on a mountain to pray. Suddenly a strong wind came up, and the disciples were struggling against heavy waves. Jesus came to them walking on the water. Peter said to Jesus, “If it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water” (Matthew 14:28). Peter stepped out of the boat and miraculously began to walk toward Jesus, but when he turned to look at the waves, he became afraid and began to sink, crying out, “Save me, Lord!” (verse 30).

The very week I was studying this story, a storm blew into our lives in the form of a phone call. Having discovered I was pregnant again a year and a half after Hope died, we had been waiting for the prenatal test results that would tell us whether or not the baby I was carrying would have Zellweger Syndrome. Finally the geneticist called, telling us we would, indeed, have a second child with the fatal syndrome.

We were still feeling battered from the last storm, and another one was now sweeping into our lives! We wondered if we would be able to endure it. But Jesus was walking toward us in our distress, urging us not to be afraid. In a sense we heard him calling us to get out of the boat and trust him. We knew that if we looked at the wind and waves of the sorrow and difficulty that was sweeping into our lives, we would surely sink. But if we reached out to Jesus and kept our eyes focused on him, he would empower us to walk above the waves of our bitter circumstances.

Storms give us the opportunity to step out in faith. We can look down on the hurt and uncertainty that threaten to overtake us, or we can look up at the Savior. He will empower us to walk and live in a way that transcends the natural world. As we focus on him, he provides what we need to keep walking toward him when the winds of adversity are whipping all around us.

Savior, I hear you calling me to step out of the boat and trust you. But I’m afraid. Keep reaching out to me as I seek to keep my eyes focused on you.

DIGGING DEEPER