Trust in The Storm

Matthew 14:22–27 “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.””

Matthew 14:28–33 “And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.””

We have a great opportunity to examine this passage that seems to be, at times, a foreshadowing of the Christian life. What do I mean by that? The first thing in life is that we’re going to have storms or troubles. Likewise, in those moments that we have storms, we have opportunities to step out in faith and trust in Christ. Also, like in life, we start strong with our eyes fixed on Jesus, but then the storm slowly starts to take over and draw our attention. It is at this point that we have a problem. That problem is met with a flashpoint of human emotions such as fear and doubt.

V22

We can see that Jesus told his followers to go on ahead of him.

V 24- 27

We can see the disciples are in the middle of a storm. They are being tossed around by the waves. In the 4th watch, which is between 3-6 am, they saw Jesus walking on the water. It is not illogical to think that they were struggling in the storm for some time till Jesus showed up. Truth be told, we are not sure how long they were in the storm without Jesus. After seeing Jesus walking on the water, we see, according to the scriptures, that they were terrified because they thought it was a ghost. Now, this is not illogical because people don't normally walk on water. This is not what I would call typical behavior for a person. So in their fear, they reached the most logical conclusion that they could think of.

V28-29

It is at this point in the story that we see an amazing statement of faith where Peter calls out to Jesus and says Lord, if it's you, then command me to come and I will. And of course, Jesus obliges him and calls him to come down. And in this passage, we see fear now counteracted by the opposite, which is faith. Followed up with trust because Peter decided to trust Jesus. Peter, at this point in his life, had never walked on water, but he trusted at that point that everything would work out.

v30-33

Peter came to Jesus; he was right there in his midst. He was right there in arm's reach of Jesus in the middle of the storm, and he still became afraid. At this point, Peter started to sink. At the point when he took his eyes off Jesus. It is at this moment in the text that we see a very human reaction from Peter, in that reaction is fear. Now I know it's easy for us to laugh and sneer and make remarks, saying What would you be afraid of if you had Jesus by your side. But in Peter's predicament, he was faced with the reality of a very scary scenario. Just try for a second to put yourself in Peter's shoes when you're standing on water, of all things. And then you look around to see the waves crashing and the wind blowing, maybe even lightning in the dark. But then you realize that you are in the middle of a storm. It is in this story that we can relate. Sometimes in life, we are called to act in faith and step out of the boat, and we do so strongly and bravely at first, just like when Peter shouted back to Jesus, stating If it's you, then command me to come and I will. But like Peter, as soon as we run into a storm, even though Jesus is right there, our human emotions kick in.

What is your storm? We all have one at one point or another.

For some of us, that storm seems like it is the biggest thing we have ever seen. That storm is loud and scary, and most of all lonely. But it does not have to be that way. To be as clear as I can, I'm not saying don't experience the things that you're feeling because that would be a gross mischaracterization of what I'm actually trying to say. What I am saying is you don't have to experience the feelings that you are feeling alone.

We must come to a realization that the storm is not the problem. The real problem is where our focus is in the middle of that storm. So, when a storm of life hits, are you focused on what's going on around you, or are you redirecting your focus towards Jesus? Again, that's not to say don't experience the things that you are feeling, but we can do that while leaning into the one who can truly save us from that storm. Just take a second to think about how Peter’s situation could have played out if he had simply leaned into Jesus even though he was afraid.

Where does that leave us?

One, when you are called out on the water, respond in faith. Just like Peter in the story had the audacity to boldly stand on his faith and trust that it will work out. We must be ready to do the same. Two, when you see how big the storm is, take time to pivot your focus to the one who can save you. Just like what we've been learning here the last few weeks, it is not a bad thing to experience your emotions or feel what you are feeling. But it is what we do with those emotions that matters. So, if you come across a situation that creates fear inside you, acknowledge it and then turn to Jesus with those same emotions. Finally, if you sink like Peter, remember that Jesus is right there to step in at a moment’s notice; after all, no one learns how to walk on water in a day.