Stop Looking at the Storm-Focus on JESUS

Peter said, “Lord, tell me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus said, “Come.” 

It was an incredible act of trust that Peter exhibited out there on that boat. He said that if Jesus told him that he could walk on water, then that was good enough for him. He’d give it a try, never mind the awful death by drowning in the middle of a storm at sea. Peter’s angle was: if Jesus tells me to do it, that means I can do it.

But then something went wrong, and Peter began to sink.

What happened? What did Peter do wrong?

Now, what is it, exactly, that messes Peter up? Why does he start to sink there, out in the middle of the water, out in the middle of the storm? He is walking, and then suddenly, he’s sinking. The water supports him like a solid floor, and the next second it gives way right under him.

Matthew’s gospel tells us that it was because Peter turned his focus from Christ to the storm, at the mess all around him. So look, are you spending your time focused on the chaotic storms that are blowing all around you? Are you spending a lot of time looking are the dysfunction of life around you? Or even the mess within yourself.

Then let me tell you, if you are spending a big chunk of time focused on the storm, instead of keeping your focus on Christ and what He’s asking you to do, you are going to start sinking.

Remember what we’re down on this earth to do. We’re not down here to worry about the storms that blow here or there, this way or that. We’re not even fundamentally down here to wring our hands about every up and down our family members or friends experience. We are here to get closer to Christ. That is what our life is for.

He has called us to come to Him. And so we are supposed to come to Him. And we can do that in any weather, stormy or calm. Doesn’t matter what the winds of change are doing on all sides. We can keep getting closer to Christ, progressing in virtue, in holiness, and in prayer.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other, until you reach the Lord. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

Peter stepped off that boat because He trusted Christ. He knew he could count on Christ. But he forgot about Christ’s power, Peter forgot that Christ was in control, when he started paying too much attention to the turbulence in the world around him.

If that starts happening to you, if start to despair, or get anxious, or feel like everything’s getting out of control real fast, then do what Peter did: Cry out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!”

Remember this: Temptation is experienced as a storm, but it is just a distraction from Jesus and what Jesus wants you to do. When temptation strikes, keep your eyes on Jesus by prayer then do what he told you to do. Do not pay attention to the storm. It’s just a distraction, nothing more. The storm will pass and you will have peace.