And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?- Matt. 14:28-31 NKJV
Did you ever wonder why bad things happen to you? Circumstances of this nature happen to good and bad people all the time. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean nothing bad will ever happen to you? It’s not the circumstances you find yourself in, but rather how you react to those circumstances.
Take Peter, for instance. Seeing Jesus coming towards the disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, he asked Jesus to command him to come to him on the water. At that moment Peter’s faith was sky high. He was focused on Jesus and nothing else. Once he was actually on the water it was a different story. What changed? Had Jesus changed? No. Had the circumstances changed? Yes. But more importantly, Peter changed. Circumstances change all the time. In a moment’s time your life can be turned upside down. It wasn’t the changing circumstances that caused Peter to begin to sink; it was his reaction to those changes.
There are a couple key phrases in this passage of Scripture. One is “when he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid.” It wasn’t just the wind, but what the wind caused. Imagine this scene. Whipping wind, lapping waves, distracting noise … all those things caused Peter’s focus to shift from Jesus to what was going on around him. He panicked and began to sink in the water. Now pay close attention … the second key phrase is this: “’Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” In an instant he was saved from his dire circumstances.
Now before you assume from this passage that God always plucks us out of difficult situations immediately, hear this: God has a will for you. He uses situations and circumstances to teach you. When things don’t go your way, don’t ask “Why me Lord?” but rather “What would you have me learn from this?” It’s a progressive thing. You may not react this way the first time, or perhaps not even the 10th time you find yourself in difficult circumstances, but know this; God either causes or allows everything that happens in the universe He created. Do you not think He is in complete control of His creation? Your circumstances are meant to teach you how to be just a little more like Jesus each day. He loves us that much. Trust me when I tell you that someday you will look at a painfully difficult situation square on and not even flinch, but rather say “Lord, mold me and make me more like You through this.” You don’t necessarily need to be plucked out of a given situation. Maybe you just need to set your jaw and engage your faith and trust in Almighty God. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
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