PETER IN THE STORM
You're in the middle of a miracle and you can't See it.
You look around and all you can see is the Raging storm
You can only feel yourself sinking
Jesus is there, but you struggle to see him
Through all the wind and rain, you struggle to hear his voice say "come"
His arm outstretched; all he requires of you is that you keep walking
Place your hand in his and keep walking
You were never supposed to do it alone
You're supposed to do it clinging firmly to the
Only man that can hold you up once you keep walking
But you allow yourself to be blinded by sight and you start to sink.
Cry out. Cry out. Because Jesus is still there to save you and help you walk
Don't be afraid of disappointing him
Don't be worried about hearing what he will say
He will encourage you, He will restore your faith and set your gaze aright on Him
The Lord your God will be there to save you from drowning
Because He was there before you even Started walking
He will get into the boat and guide it safely to where it needs to go
And on the other side? There is even more
On the other side, where the land is and the people dwell
There is healing and deliverance and countless more miracles galore
On the other side is purpose, the continued advancement of God's plan for you
Your time on the water didn't delay or deny You
It was a transitionary experience that will now
Inform your journey with him for the rest of your life
And so to the God that is able to keep you from falling,
From drowning and all things in between
Be glory, honour, dominion and power
Forever and ever AMEN.
So…..Let’s discuss…shall we…
Scriptures referenced:
Matthew 14
Jude 24-25
Important Links:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw8p9b98Uw_GejqEyeN4BMs7H9LnXBvE7 – Peter In the Storm Playlist (R8P youtube channel)
https://youtu.be/fKNSSEGZzlE - Peter In The Storm (Podcast Version)
How many times has this been us? Look at the story in Matthew 14. Jesus had just fed the 5,000 and now the disciples were in the boat. A storm raged and waves crashed all around them, they are scared and no doubt soaked. Then there is a man…and he’s walking on the waves. They only became more terrified but the man speaks to them, it is Jesus and He tells them to relax. Enter stage left our boy Peter, our friendly temperamental disciple, the rock upon which Jesus says He will build His church. Peter bravely says to the Lord (paraphrasing) “Alright….if a really you Jesus, mek mi come to yuh out deh.” (translation: “Alright….if it’s really you Jesus, let me come to you out there.”). To which Jesus reponds with an invitation for him to do exactly that and Peter steps out unto the water, into the very midst of this whole storm!! For a while, Peter does great, he heads straight for Jesus and he’s actually walking on water but it seems he doesn’t quite realize that…but eventually does and Peter PANICS.
The second he realized that he was out on the water in this crazy, raging, angry storm he begins to sink and he has to call out to Christ in front of him to save his life and our merciful Jesus stops his beloved from drowning, saving his life. Peter was in the middle of a massive and incredibly iconic miracle but he doesn’t realize it and when he does gain some awareness, he doesn’t see the awesome thing that Jesus is causing to happen, he sees instead his unsafe and vulnerable state. He sinks immediately. This hasn’t ceased to blow my mind since the Lord rested this revelation on my heart. Peter SAW then he SANK. His vision was completely skewed. He could not see the miracle, he could not appreciate that he was actually safe and sound in the middle of a WILD situation and that Jesus was standing in front of Him. But you know what he did notice though…the danger, the risk, the circumstance, the trouble, literally everything “wrong” in the situation is what Peter saw without aid, no one had to point it out to him.
When Jesus saves Peter, He rather incredulously asks….”Likkle faith man, weh yah doubt fah?” (translation: “Little faith man, why did you doubt?” The scriptures record that once they did get back into the boat, the storm completely ceased. Once they got to the other side of the lake they were on, many people were healed by Jesus. I always wonder if when Jesus got Peter back into the boat, Peter took the time to process what had happened and realized the sheer awesomeness that had just happened to him. I have to ask you, when you go through life, especially the rough patches of sea, what do you see? Do you see Jesus on the water? Do you notice He’s walking on it? When He calls you out unto the choppy waters…do you realize that you are in the midst of a miracle? Do you see how Jesus had made a way before and trust Him to do it again?
This scripture and this piece I think highlights a few things. Firstly, the disciples had just witness the feeding of the 5k but in this situation they feared because of the storm they saw and basically forgot Jesus’ power. We have a choice to remember the prior actions of the Lord and trust Him in the new storms, the scripture does say we overcome by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Secondly, when we see Jesus out there on the water in the storm, will we be brave enough to take a chance on Him and ask to join Him out there? Third, when we get out there and Jesus is keeping us afloat, will we choose to remain focused, keep our eyes stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3) or will we pay attention to the dangerous circumstances? Focus on Christ, you walk on water, focus on our reality and you sink, the choice seems simple but making that choice in the middle of the storm is not always so easy but we must choose. Fourthly, will we take time to appreciate that despite what it looks like, we are in the middle of a miracle? The right perspective is something we must cling to God to have as only He can give it. In fact, this accurate perspective will have you praising God for the great thing He is doing before your very eyes.
Lastly, if we do take our eyes of Jesus for a second…will we let ourselves sink or will we know that our salvation is still with us? Too often we mess up and start flailing around in the water, sinking and trying to save ourselves when truly, Christ has not budged and all we have to do is cry out to our Saviour and let Him do the saving. Honestly, He’s better at it. The end of this piece paraphrases from Jude. I learned this scripture when a friend of mine just randomly sent it to me, it has blessed me tremendously ever since. It acknowledges that the keeping, saving and delivering power resides only in our God, it praises and exalts His name for that reason. The writer is GLAD, reassured that this is the God they serve. If you know Jesus, then you too can be glad. If not, there’s still time left, will you recognize Jesus’ hand already extended to save you…or will you sink?