"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?'" Matthew 14:28–31 ESVThis section of scripture has been running around in my spirit for a while now. Peter took a big step of faith. Jesus encouraged it. Peter did OK...until he took his eyes off Jesus and instead focused on the wind that churned the water and swirled the clouds. It was only then that fear gripped him, and he sank.
Last week, we were hit with a very large, unforeseen bill to pay. It was a lot. Like, a lot-lot. The good news is that we had savings to cover it. The bad news...well, ugh. We had squirreled away that cash in anticipation of our upcoming dual job loss.
Yep. The bank account lost a large chunk that day. We watched it shrink, rolling our eyes. What a lousy time to lose that money.
And yet...God knew.
- He knew that the cash we had tucked away would be needed for that bill.
- He knew that both our paid-for vehicles were about to break down and we'd need to take on car payments.
- He knew that we would each find out on the exact same day we were both about to lose our jobs. (In fact, I'm pretty sure He planned it that way!)
He knew there would be a storm. Lots of wind. Lots of waves.
A pastor I spoke with told me, "God has you right where He wants you. He is teaching you to walk by faith." Oh, how that ministered to me! If I have money in the bank to sustain me, I leave little room to walk by faith. Yes, of course, as good stewards, we need to be wise with our resources. But if the Lord allows it to be taken away, we know that He saw it coming. He may have even arranged it to occur like this. He wants us to learn to rely on Him and not on our own savvy or plans. He wants us to walk by faith, and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
I gotta say, spiritually, I think I'm making progress. When that bill came up, panic did not set in. I might have groaned a little at the timing, but overall, there was peace. I didn't have my eyes on the storm—I had my eyes on Jesus.
This has not always been the case, believe me! I still have moments where the facts of our situation jump out in front of me, and I start to panic a little. Then the Holy Spirit brings that story about Peter back to me, and I adjust my focus. I fix my eyes on Jesus. The fear vanishes.
Remember, too, when fear gripped Peter, Jesus didn't let him sink. Jesus grabbed his hand. Jesus rescued him. Even when facing our own weaknesses as we grow and learn, Jesus will not allow us to sink. He rescues us and uses it as a teaching moment—he works with us right where we are.
In the scope of things, job loss and money issues are really not so bad. There are far more horrible things that can happen in life. If we allow it, the devil will surely make mountains out of our molehills. While fear screams at us, "What are you going to DO???", faith refocuses our vision, so that all we see is Jesus. The wind and the waves are no match for the glorious vision of our savior, reaching for us. Hang on to that vision. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
