My heart has been broken over the recent flash flooding in Texas and other states. The amount of water that swept through that took and devastated so many lives, is beyond my ability to completely process. There is a deep feeling of helplessness in response to all the reports, and a yearning to try to make sense out of all it. My only recourse is to run to my Savior in prayer and petition for all who have been affected.
The fact is there will be storms, and in many cases, those storms will cause disaster. So how do we manage when they do?
My mind goes to Scripture and the situations Jesus allowed the disciples to experience. My first thought goes to Mark 4:36-40 where the disciples and Jesus were in the boat when a great windstorm arose, beating upon the boat. The boat was beginning to fill with water and the disciples were afraid. Jesus however was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. Terrified, the disciples awoke Him and asked "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" He arose, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. His question to them "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"
I then think of another event on the stormy seas recorded in Matthew 14:24-32. The disciples had just experienced the miraculous feeding of over 5,000 men, women and children with five loaves of bread and two fish, with enough left overs to fill twelve baskets. Jesus then sent them ahead of Him by boat, while He went to the mountain by Himself to pray. When the boat was in the middle of the sea, the wind became contrary. About the fourth watch (which is described as being between 3am and 6am) Jesus came walking to the disciples on water. Now you know they must have been weary and feeling quite a bit overwhelmed. They were even afraid that they were seeing a ghost and cried out in fear. Jesus spoke to them "It is I; do not be afraid." This next part is my favorite. Peter, being Peter, answered and said "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And Jesus did just that saying "Come." This part is where it becomes so real to me. Peter got out of the boat and walked on water. That is until he became distracted by the wind and the waves, took his eyes off of Jesus, and became afraid.
Isn't that us? We walk in tremendous faith until the storms of life distract us with the noise of the wind and the waves of adversity. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances or the circumstances of others, we shift our focus off the face of the One Who controls the wind and the waves, and sink in the storm itself.
Oh but blessed Savior that He is, just as he stretched out His hand to Peter and caught him when he cried out in fear "Lord, save me!", He will do the same for us.
Again and again, He calls out to us to keep our eyes on Him and walk with Him in faith.
It's hard. Our eyes see and ears hear things that cause us to shrink back in faltering faith and fear. Faith is tested when we are asked to shift our focus from what we see and trust what we have learned about Jesus and His character. That is why it is imperative to get to know Him intimately through Bible study and prayer.
There is an old hymn that is running through my head as I write this. "Oh, soul are you weary and troubled, no light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. His word will not fail you, He promised. Believe Him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell. Turn you eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."
Just as Peter learned when he became distracted by the storm but was rescued when he cried out "Lord, save me!" we too can find refuge and safety in life's storms. The second verse of the song Turn your eyes upon Jesus, reminds us "Thro' death into life everlasting, He passed, and we follow Him there; over us sin no more hath dominion-for more than conquerors we are!" We can walk in victory even in the storms. Cry out to Jesus. He longs to give you a place of refuge in the midst of life's storms. He is faithful and loves us beyond what we can possibly imagine. He simply wants us to follow Him in faith.
In doing so, we can "walk on water" and in His perfect timing, we will all make it home.
