Don’t Look Away…
Scary is different for us all. But we pretty much react the same way. As children: pulling covers up over our heads. As adults: turning away or closing our eyes.
One evening a ragamuffin bunch set sail and encountered winds that kept them from making much progress. In the wee hours they thought they saw someone walking on the water towards them. Panic. “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ “ (Matthew 14:27 NIV)
‘But Jesus’ – He is always our help. ‘Immediately’ – knowing His voice would calm them, He spoke. ‘Take courage’ – take Me, He is our courage. ‘It is I’ – the source of our faith and trust. ‘Don’t be afraid’ – don’t look away or fear or worry, keep your eyes on Me.
Love the next verse: “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” (Matthew 14:28 NIV) If it is You? We always doubt.
It just gets better. “Come”, he said.” (Matthew 14:29 NIV) Jesus says this through every moment of every day to us. When you are tired, come. Worried, come. Hurt, come. Longing, come. Lost, come. What makes you close your eyes, look away, fear? Just come, turn those eyes to Him.
So Peter got out and walked on water. The only human to ever do that, ever. “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid” (Matthew 14:30a NIV) But when. When we try to fix things on our own. When we give up hope. When we trust money, or people, or government, or self – anything that takes our eyes off Jesus. “and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ “ (Matthew 14:30b NIV)
We sink. When we pull away from Jesus, when He isn’t the source for our next steps, we sink.
The question is, do we cry out like Peter – ‘Save me!’? “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.” (Matthew 14:31 NIV) Same for you and me. Immediately – we may not think so. Maybe we still stay sick, maybe the outcome still isn’t pretty. But trust is about knowing that even when the answers aren’t our idea of answers – Jesus is always right there and He knows how it turns out.
Don’t look away when facing the waves, look to Jesus.
If you stopped by because you read my devotion over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME! So glad you are here!
parisrenae 
I needed this after Tuesday. Our periods of getting the bowed covered, 😖 I just kept humming ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I Know he watches me…and finally, when we raised the sails… ‘Let’s go fly a kite’ from Saving Mr. Banks.😃
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He has all your days – and He is the song in your heart. Keep on humming and hold fast to the lover of your soul…
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I’m so glad God chose to include that story in the Bible. Those times when I look away (which naturally creates doubt, because I’m focused elsewhere), it’s good to know all we have to do is call out to Him, and He’ll pull us up. He was always there beside Peter…He never left Him out in the water alone. And, He’s always there beside us, even when we forget to trust Him. — Can’t get enough of Him and His goodness. We’re so blessed. — Thanks for sharing, friend. xoxo
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