“Immediately
Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side,
while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He
went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone
there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for
the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them,
walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they
were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But
immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be
afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out
of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the
wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying,
“Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:22-31 NKJV
I’m
sure many of us first heard this story of Jesus walking on the water when we
were quite young and attending Sunday school, sitting in our chairs and listening
in fascination as our teacher related this miracle of our Lord. I know I was, and I remember thinking Peter
wasn’t too bright because he turned his eyes away from Jesus and suffered the
consequences. Of course, as I grew
older, I began to see just how often I had followed in Peter’s footsteps by
making the same mistake that he did by choosing to look away and focus on my
circumstances rather than on the promises of God.
If
you look closely at this story, it becomes apparent that everything which occurred
was actually a setup by Jesus for the purpose of teaching the disciples, and us
as well, the importance of looking to Him for our deliverance in times of
trouble. Jesus intentionally told the
disciples to leave ahead of Him knowing the storm was coming, and rather than
looking for another boat to follow them with, He decided to walk across the sea
to where they were in trouble. Today I
want to share with you just four of many points I believe are found in this
passage, which I believe we as believers need to remember in the times of
trouble that so many of us find ourselves in today.
Obedience can bring a
storm.
The
disciples followed Jesus’ instructions to proceed without Him, having no idea
that by doing so they would encounter a storm so great that they would fear for
their very lives. Jesus, on the other hand, knew exactly what was about to
happen and sent them on their way knowing full well that they would suffer no
harm. Have you ever followed the path you
feel Jesus wants you to take and encountered troubles that make you question
your choice to do so? God knows exactly
what will happen when we follow His Son and will never send us someplace where
His power cannot save.
“For
this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief,
suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your
faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it
patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His
steps:” 1 Peter 2:20-21 NKJV
“And
being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to
the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8 NKJV
Jesus knows what we
are going through.
As
big as that sea was, have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus knew
exactly where the disciples were? In that
entire expanse, in the middle of a great storm, Jesus walked directly to where
they were in trouble. Jesus not only
knows what we are going through, but
He also knows exactly where we
are. Even though we might feel we cannot
see Jesus when we are in distress, He can see us. His assistance, comfort, and deliverance are
available to us if we simply call on Him and ask for His help. God’s omniscience and omnipresence guarantee
we are never alone.
“For we
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV
“then
the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the
unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” 2Peter 2:9
NKJV
Jesus has perfect
timing.
The
disciples, some being fishermen, were well acquainted with being on the sea in
storms and at first were probably unconcerned with what they were
encountering. Yet since Jesus had sent
them off in the evening, and now we see it was the fourth watch or almost
morning, they had spent a good twelve hours battling to cross a sea that was
only five miles wide. I have no doubt
that it was at this point that even these men were beginning to fear for their
lives. Why did Jesus wait so long to
appear? I think quite possibly Jesus
waits until we acknowledge we cannot do it on our own before He appears to
deliver us from our troubles.
“The
LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust
in Him.” Nahum
1:7 NKJV
“And
the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly
kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” 2 Timothy 4:18 NKJV
Success of our walk
depends on the focus of our eyes.
It
is almost comical to think back to that Sunday school class and remember when
the teacher asked the question “why did Peter begin to sink”? I can still hear ten little voices crying out
“he took his eyes off of Jesus”! Even
little children understand the point of this story and yet as adults, how often
do we forget? How often do we begin to
focus on our surroundings, our circumstances, or our relationships and forget
to keep our eyes on Jesus? Never doubt
that Satan’s goal is to use this world to change our focus and cause us to
stumble. I can never forget the words of
a hymn we sung so often when I was young;
“Turn your eyes upon
Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow
strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
“For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV
“the
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints,” Ephesians 1:18 NKJV
As
we see this world approaching its day of judgment and we as believers find
ourselves experiencing troubles and difficulties, never forget to turn your
eyes upon Jesus. If you are reading this today and have never made a decision
to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you by dying on the cross for your sin,
you can do it right now wherever you might be by simply praying a prayer like
this;
Jesus I know
that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you. I believe you loved me enough to send your
Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can
live. Forgive me of my sins and come
into my life and help me to live for you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep
watching.
