Lord, Save Me (2)

A pastor decided to take a vacation and went to one of those large golf resorts where Arnold Palmer often played.

As the pastor approached the most difficult hole on the course, the caddie said, “When Arnold Palmer plays this hole, he uses a three-iron and says a prayer.”

“I’ll certainly give it a try,” the preacher remarked. But when the ball landed in the water, he said, “I guess the Lord didn’t hear me.”

“He probably heard you,” the caddie said, “but when Arnold Palmer says his prayers, he keeps his head down.”

I like that joke because there’s a truth to be found:

We need to learn to pray and do our part.

I want to focus on a very famous scripture in Matthew 14. It’s the scripture where Jesus walked on water.

Many times we look at this scripture and talk about Jesus.As a man, He walked on water; It’s a miracle.

Other times we look at Peter and how he failed in his faith when he stepped out on the water to meet Jesus. We can learn many lessons from both of these lessons from the scripture.

But right now, I want to talk about the prayer that Peter prayed in verse 30. It’s a simple prayer, but it was a prayer of faith.

I’m convinced that God hears prayers of faith. Peter needed a touch from Jesus, he prayed, and Jesus not only heard him, but he answered his prayer.

Let’s read the passage of scripture. Make sure you look for the prayer Peter prayed in verse 30:

Matthew 14:22–32 NKJV

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 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. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Have you ever prayed the prayed that Peter prayed? Lord, save me!

If you haven’t, I can tell you, there’s probably a day coming in your future where you will. You might be facing situations in your life right now, were you are asking the Lord to save you.

We all need saving.

Peter faced a desperate situation, but he was never alone. Jesus responded to his prayer of faith and met his need. Maybe you are in a storm right now and can see no way out. I’m here to tell you, Storms are going to come, we must look to Jesus, ask him for help, and expect him to meet our needs.

Following Jesus isn’t always easy

Jesus told them to stay in the boat. He was up on the mountain praying while the disciples were hanging out in the boat. They were obedient to the direction of Jesus yet they found themselves in a difficult situation. A storm came up and started tossing the boat.

We all have bad days. Days where things just don’t seem to go our way. But there are times in our life when it feels like we are in a tiny boat on the big ocean being tossed all over the place. Times when it seems as though we are fighting for our survival.

Sometimes these difficulties happen when we are being obedient to Jesus. Just like the disciples were being obedient and finding themselves in a storm, we’ve stepped out in obedience only to find that we are in a storm as well!

John Harper

We all know the story of the Titanic. But, you may not know the story of John Harper. He was a Scotsman traveling to Chicago to become the pastor of the Moody Memorial Church, but he never made it. John was in a desperate situation because the Captain told him the ship was going to sink and that many people were going to die. The Captain asked John to help keep the peace.

John Harper kissed his six-year-old daughter goodbye as he placed her in a lifeboat. 1,521 people were left on the sinking ship after all the lifeboats were gone. Harper was left on the ship. But he wasn’t afraid of death because he knew that he was going to face Jesus the second he left this life.

So, with so many people about to face death, what did this man do? Harper started asking people if they were saved. In the freezing water, He was yelling at the top of his lungs, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!”.

There was one man who was rescued from the water that day who gave his life to the Lord because of the words of John Harper. He’s known as Harper’s last convert.

But I wonder how many people put their trust in the Lord because of the words of John Harper?

He was obedient to Jesus until his last breath on earth. God didn’t keep him from the difficulty, but the enemy couldn’t stop him from being obedient.

God might allow storms in your life. The question is whether or not you’ll allow those storms to affect your obedience to Him.

Storms of life will test our faith. In fact, there will be times when faith is all we have. We will find ourselves in situations where we can’t see the shore and we cannot begin to understand how the situation will work out or what the end result will be. In those times, we simply have to trust the Lord by faith to meet our need and keep us through the storm.

How?

Look to Jesus

Matthew 14:28–29 CEV

28 Peter replied, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come on!” Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.

Peter walking on water

Peter only had the word of the Lord and faith. He didn’t allow human reasoning to stand in his way. Common sense says you’ll sink, but Jesus told him to come. At this moment in time, Peter was more focused on Jesus than he was on the storm that raged around him.

We should learn something here about how to get through the storms of life.

Rather than focusing on the storm, we must focus on the Savior. Instead of telling Jesus how big the storm is, remind yourself how big Jesus is. He has the ability to walk above your storm and keep you secure in the midst of it!

Even if the storms take you out of this life, Jesus has you on the other side. Keeping our focus on Jesus will help eliminate our fear.

Fear is our enemy. What do we do when we are afraid?

Ask Jesus for Help

Matthew 14:30 NKJV

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

Peter evidently lost his focus. We’ve all been there. We sink into the sea of fear. His faith started to weaken, but he didn’t lose all faith.

In that moment of despair, Peter prayed a significant prayer. Although it was only three short words, it provided great results.

That little prayer tells us three things. Things that I think might help us overcome fear in the face of hardships. That prayer might just be what we need to be praying in our lives right now.

Lord, save me. - Recognition

Peter KNEW who Jesus was. Jesus was there, and Peter knew that he was Lord. Peter was confident of Jesus’ ability and authority.

If the storms of life we need to recognize who Jesus is. We must work to eliminate doubt and learn to expect the Lord to work his will in our lives. We need to see Him as sovereign, powerful, and all knowing. He must KNOW that his is ABLE to meet our needs.

Lord, save me. - Submission

Peter was admitting that he needed help. He knew that without Jesus, he was going under. In the desperate situation, he knew that he couldn’t save himself. If he was going to live, Jesus would have to save him.

There is no need to expect the Lord to help in our situation as long as we are trying to handle it ourselves. We must get to the place where we realize it is beyond our ability to handle, fully submitting to the power and authority of Jesus! As long as we are trying to handle it, Jesus will likely let us; but when we realize our inability and trust Him, He will move in our midst.

There is a greater spiritual truth here. This presents a picture of man’s inability to save himself. As long as we are trusting in our own strength, works, or abilities, we remain in danger. It is only when we admit we can’t save ourselves and trust the Lord by faith that salvation is received. Faith alone in Christ alone will save!

Lord, save me. - Expectation

As Peter cried out to Jesus, he fully expected Jesus to meet his need. He had faith that Jesus would respond and save him from his desperate situation. Had he not shown faith, he may have died.

Faith believed in spite of the circumstances he faced.

We have faith when we pray. Our prayers will see little result if we do not expect the Lord to respond. Doubt hinders many lives. How many times have we asked the Lord to meet a need in our lives and yet doubted that He would? When we pray, we must believe in spite of the circumstances we face.

The same is true regarding salvation. Faith is essential. We must believe that Jesus died for our sin and rose again. We must have faith in His ability to save from sin and secure eternal life. Our salvation isn’t based on our merit or ability, but faith in the Lord’s!

How do we trust the Lord by faith to meet our need and keep us through the storm?

We Look to Jesus and we admit that we need His help. Simple, but true. We don’t have all the answers. But He does. We can’t see the end, but He can.

When we pray: Lord, save me then we recognize Jesus as Lord, submit to Him as Lord, and we Expect Him to operate as Lord.

Then something AMAZING happens. Hold onto your seat, because this is where your life might change.

When we trust the Lord in the storms of life:

Jesus Reaches out His Hand

Matthew 14:31 CEV

31 Right away, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don’t have much faith. Why do you doubt?”

Don’t you want to touch the hand of Jesus? What a crazy cool thought! I think that’s exactly what happens when we pray. We are placing our hand in His hand.

Jesus responded to the prayer of faith and submission immediately.

As Peter cried out in faith, Jesus immediately responded to his need. The Lord was moved by the cry of Peter. Although the Lord rebuked Peter for lacking the faith to stand, He responded to his cry of help. Jesus SAVED him.

I am not saying that Jesus will answer every prayer we pray the way we want immediately.

He may want to teach us something through the storm we face, but He will meet our needs.

Even if He allows us to remain in the storm, we have the assurance that He will be there with us. It may not be pleasant, but being in the presence of Jesus while in the midst of the storm is always better than enjoying the sunshine without Him. He will never leave nor forsake us. He is preparing a home in heaven for the saved right now. We are secure in Him.

Think about salvation, the touch of the Lord is always immediate and lasting. When a person cries out to the Lord by faith, believing in Him for salvation, the result is immediate. He doesn’t send us through a series of steps or tasks in order to obtain salvation. Faith in the finished work of Calvary is enough!

Matthew 14:32 CEV

32 When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down.

The average Bible student is knows about of the life of Peter and the failures that came along the way, but I am pretty sure that he never forgot this day. In his time of desperate need, Jesus reached out and saved him. It had to change his life!

Anytime we encounter the power of the Lord, our lives are never the same. We may stray and fail at times, but the touch of Jesus is something we never get over.

I still remember the day He touched me in salvation. There have been many times that the Lord has heard my prayers and met my needs. Each of those encounters revealed His glory and taught me more of Him. They create a desire to be near Him and receive His touch again. A life touched by Jesus will never be the same as before!

There is no doubt that Peter faced a desperate situation, but he was never alone. Jesus responded to his prayer of faith and met his need. Maybe you are in the midst of a storm right now and can see no way out. Recognize Jesus, submit to Him, and have faith that He will respond to your situation. If you have never been saved, Jesus stands ready to pull you from the sea of sin immediately. He can deliver you into the safety of the ship of grace. Call upon Him now! He will respond!