Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)
(Click here to read the full passage.)
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Last summer I was invited to go white water rafting. I enthusiastically accepted the invitation, but as the date of the trip approached, my imagination got the best of me and I started feeling terrified! A couple days before I even called the company to ask how many people died on their excursions so far. The lady laughed at me (which I found oddly comforting), and assured me that there have been no major incidents on any of their excursions. “You should be excited!” she said.
The phone call helped calm me down until I had to sign a waiver naming off all the horrible things that could go wrong. As we rode the bus to our drop off location the tour guide told us the facts of the dangers and the speed of the water. He pointed out the different rapids we would ride as we peered over the edge of the cliff at the galloping waters below.
By the time we climbed into the boats I was practically shaking. I knew there was no turning back now. After lunch, it was time to hit the rougher waters and my heart pounded as I looked up and saw the waves coming. As a defence mechanism I looked down at my paddle and focused on what our guide was instructing us to do in that moment, rather than stare at what appeared to be my impending doom.
Then a funny thing happened... As long as I remembered and obeyed the last thing my instructor told me to do, I wasn’t afraid. It was only when I looked ahead that fear gripped me.
By the end of the trip I had not only paddled through the rapids, but even swam through some of them! I walked back to that bus with a swagger because I had conquered my fears!
I certainly am not the only one who felt afraid of the waves. Growing up in church, I’ve heard all about Jesus' disciple Peter who got out of the boat to walk on the water. He was fine while he focused on Jesus. When he took his eyes off Jesus, he was consumed by fear and began to sink.
How much time do we waste worrying about the future? Just like Peter when he stepped out of the boat, how often do we focus on the rough waters that lie ahead instead of the one who called us to step out? Instead, we can choose a different thought; we can focus on what God is instructing us to do right now. As we focus on God’s guidance today, tomorrow will take care of itself… Because God is with us and He’s got this!
COMMENT BELOW: When was a time when you had to face your fears?