What Storm?

"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!" Matthew 14:29-30

The thing that I love most about this story is examining both the faith that Peter had and the clear power of Christ that gave Peter the faith to walk out on the water, and later saved Him when Peter's faith came up short. Recently, I've been faced with an enormous decision that will greatly impact my college career and the path that my life is heading. This decision has caused me to think about how many "storms" that we face in our lives. There are storms of  tough decisions, heartbreak, failure, and so many others that leave us drowning in the sea of our fear, crying out "Lord, save me!" Yet, when reading and meditating on this story and thinking about my own life, I realize that we (especially myself) approach the storms in our lives with completely the wrong attitude. I always expect that when I pray and seek the Lord when I'm overwhelmed, that everything will work itself out quickly and efficiently. Not to say that it can't happen, but even though that's the way that T.V shows work out, when problems are solved in short 30-minute intervals (excluding Friends: Ross and Rachel had problems for like, FOREVER. You guys were on a break, get over it Rachel...), our problems are not usually solved that quickly,because that's not always the way that God wants, and His way is always the better way. When you look at Peter, and the faith that he had in the beginning, it is incredible. He kept his eyes on Christ and that was all he needed. Verse 30 doesn't say that he became afraid when the storm started or when it worsened, but it says he took his eyes off of Jesus and then saw that the "wind was boisterous". The storm didn't stop when Peter began to focus on Jesus, it was still going on. But the thing is that the storm just didn't matter anymore. Christ was all that mattered. That is the mindset that we need to have when facing trials and storms. Don't expect a magical fix, but what you should expect is an overwhelming sense of God-given peace when you focus on Christ. The struggle really began for Peter when he took his eyes off of Christ and focused on his fear instead.

When you are caught in fear and doubt, and the storm seems too overwhelming, look to Christ. Cry out "Lord, help me!", and don't stray from His presence. As Verse 31 tells us, Jesus will immediately reach out to us and save us. The doubt in our lives is what causes the storms to be overwhelming. Trust in Christ. Abide in Him, and though the storm  may still be raging, it won't matter. There will only be the peace of Christ.