Walking Through the Storm

            Today, I want to talk about a man who walked across his storm. For him, it was a literal storm at sea. Today, we are going to talk about Peter. Jesus had just completed the miracle of feeding the five thousand and needed some time alone to fellowship with God. He had the disciples get on a boat and told them to go to the other side of the sea. While the disciples were sailing across the sea, they entered a huge storm. Suddenly, the watch saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter, not fully believing it was Jesus, told Him that if it were really Him, He would command Him to walk on the water. Sure enough, Jesus did. Peter started walking on the water, but then set his eyes on the storm and started to sink. He cried out to Jesus, asking Jesus to save him, and Jesus did. When Jesus got on the boat, He said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 NKJV). Jesus then commanded the wind and the waves to cease. To read the story in full, go to Matthew 14:22-33.

            Let’s break this story down. First, Jesus told the disciples to take the boat and go to the other side of the sea. Jesus already told them that they would make it to the other side. The disciples could have had faith and not been anxious about not making it. That is why Jesus asks in the end why they doubted. Next, notice how the disciples went through a storm when they were in God's will. Jesus Himself told them to get on the boat and go to the other side, but they still faced a storm. Remember, some of the disciples were professional fishermen, so they would have seen some pretty severe storms. However, this storm was so severe that they were scared for their lives. Lastly, Peter was able to walk through the storm when his eyes were on Jesus. However, when he started looking at the storm, he started to sink. But praise God, Jesus was there to pick Peter up when he cried out to Him! Let Peter be an example for us. First, he had the faith to step out in the first place. There were at least ten other people on the boat, and none of them got out with him. Secondly, he focused on Jesus and made it through his storm, but began to sink when he looked at the storm. We do this all the time. A storm hits us, and we start believing God for victory. Then, a negative report comes or something happens, and we start looking at the circumstances instead of God. But praise God, when we look back to Him, He will lift us and carry us through!

            Remember that God is always with you. No matter what storm you are facing, when you call out to Him, He will get you through! Do not look at your circumstances; keep looking at Jesus!