Trust

Jul 27, 2022

Trust
Key Scripture:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

In Matthew 14, Jesus calls Peter to walk on water. Peter starts out his walk keeping his focus on Jesus. The wind and waves weren't calm. But let's look at what was happening before Jesus walked on water to the boat.

The disciples had been struggling to row against the waves and wind.
So you have winds and waves beating against the boat. The disciples are fighting as hard as they can to not only make it to their destination, but also to not capsize. They are so focused on the storm rising up around them that they almost lose sight of their goal of "crossing to the other side." In the middle of this fight against the storm, they see someone walking toward them - someone walking ON WATER. WHAT? Can you imagine what was going through their minds? When we continue to read the chapter, we see they thought a ghost was coming after them. But when the figure spoke, "Don't be afraid. Take courage, I am here," they knew it was no ghost - it was Jesus!

Another thing to point out is how close Jesus was to them. It's not easy to see clear when you're on the water in the middle of a storm. Add to that, that it was in the middle of the night. Visibility was not clear at all. Why point this out? Jesus had to have been close enough to the boat for them to see Him.

Once they all realize it's Jesus, Peter called to Jesus for Jesus to call Peter to walk on water. So He did. Peter, with his focus on Jesus, stepped out of the boat. The wind was fierce; the waves were wild. Peter took a another step. He ignored everything around him and focused only on the words Jesus. Peter took another step toward Jesus; he was doing it! Peter was walking on water! What happened next?

Peter began to sink. He cried out to Jesus to save him. Jesus simply reached down and grabbed his hand - that's how close Peter was to Jesus. Jesus only had to reach out His hand to grasp Peter's hand. Jesus didn't have to run on water to get to where Peter was.

What caused him to sink? He took his eyes of Jesus. He allowed the storm around him to steal his attention. He felt the wind and waves and had been reminded of the storm around him. He had been reminded of what was happening in the natural. He became distracted and fearful. When he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was staying in faith.

He ultimately began to sink because he took his eyes off of Jesus. Here's the thing, though, Jesus never took His eyes off of Peter. Just like Jesus did for Peter, He does for us. Jesus keeps His eyes on us today; God knows our tomorrows. He knows our way and His plan for our lives. We can be sure that His plans are for good and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).

God never told us to figure it all out. He only tells us to trust Him. He promises to make our paths straight and known to us at the right time.
We simply need to trust Him; we need to trust His way of doing things is much better and much wiser than our own way.
There is a great power that comes with trusting Him. This trust keeps us from relying on ourselves or others, but we need to not waver. It keeps us from taking control.

God can do and make anything better than we could in our own strength. He is faithful and sees the entire picture, while we only see a small part of what He is doing in this season of our lives. Trusting Him gives us clarity in the times when things seem foggy, brings peace when things feel overwhelming, and turns worries into expectations. Trust is a choice, not a feeling. Our feelings often lead us astray, but trusting in God never will. Keep choosing trust, let go of worry and fear, and continue to hold onto Him.

Stick with God. Don't allow storms and circumstances that pop up in your life to distract you from what God has promised you. Keep your focus on Him and His Word; with Him, you'll make it through the storm every time.