To anyone struggling with something:
Matthew 14:25-32
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
In the Bible passage above, the disciples were out in a boat in the middle of a lake, when Jesus walked on water over to them. Fearing the figure walking out towards them was a ghost because humans can't walk on water, the disciples felt terrified. There they were, stranded in the middle of the lake with nowhere to run and a "ghost" was approaching them. But, Jesus comforted them and reassured them that the figure they were seeing was Him. Then Peter, not believing that this "ghost" was truly the Son of God, tested Jesus.
Jesus told Peter to walk out onto the water, and Peter obeyed. Peter was walking towards Jesus, when he became frightened of the wind. As Peter began to sink into the lake, he called out for Jesus' help. Without hesitation, Jesus heard Peter's cry and saved him. And then Jesus asked Peter a question that He asks us in our every day lives: "You of little faith, why did you doubt."
Sometimes, we find ourselves in Peter's position. We feel like we're in that very same boat as the disciples, lost in the middle of the lake. Life hits us hard, and we feel as though we're stranded far from shore with no way back.
And then, as Jesus walked on water out to the disciples, Jesus walks out to us. But, more often than not, Jesus walks out to us not in the form of something majestic like an angel in a cloud, but in the form of a friend, an experience, a stranger or nature. Then, just as God called Peter to walk out on the water, God calls us to do the same.
In our saddest moments, when we feel as though we're stranded at sea, God calls us out of our troubles through putting our trust in Him. Like Peter, in order to be free of whatever burdens are on our hearts, we must take courage and step out of the boat and onto rough waters and run to Jesus. We must put all our trust in God, that He won't let us drown; but rather rise above the waves and come to Him.
We have to trust whatever way God reveals Himself to us to help set us free of our struggling. But, like Peter, when the waves of the waters get too high, we start to doubt God's presence in our lives. When God reveals Himself to us in a way we don't yet understand, we question if it really is God. We question if God is really there for us and whether or not He really loves us.
And then, just when Peter thought he was going to drown, God saved Him, just like He saves us. God never leaves us, especially when we're going through a hard time. All we have to do is put every ounce of faith that we have in God, and His love, His grace and His mercy will set us free.
