Don't Look Down at the Water

On Friday, my cooperating teacher shared a story with me that her pastor had shared in church one Sunday. He was on a mission trip somewhere in South America, and was out in the more "rural" part of the area. It began to rain heavily, and his guide told him that they must turn back now, or they wouldn't be able to make it back to the town before the river flooded. They reached the river, which by that time was raging, and the pastor watched as his guide and some of the other natives with them safely crossed the river. But the pastor was scared, and stood frozen on the shore, staring at the water. One of the native men who had already crossed the river came back and began shouting urgently at the pastor. The pastor didn't understand what the man was shouting, but just then the man grabbed the pastor, pulled him into the water, and helped him across safely. Later, the pastor asked his guide what the man had been yelling to him. His guide said, "He was saying, 'Don't look down at the water.'"

On Sunday, Jeff Miller, pastor of Christ Church Greensboro spoke on the story of Jesus walking on water. The disciples were in a boat in the middle of the night, and when they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them, they thought it was a ghost and were afraid.

Matthew 14:27-31

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?"

When Peter got distracted by the wind and became afraid, he took his eyes off of Christ - and he began to sink. Similarly, the pastor was too afraid to cross the river to safety because he was focusing too much on the raging water, rather than his goal.

Okay, Lord, I get it. I am much like both of these men. I admit I easily get distracted by the "water" and "wind" in my life - student teaching, raising support and getting ready to go to South Africa, and all of the other little things that come with daily life. But the One who walked on water is holding out his hand to me saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" He says, "It is I. Don't be afraid."

And the Lord, in His sovereignty, allowed this song to be played on the radio as I was driving home.

"The Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in

Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone

To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is

And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me

Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed

The waves they keep on telling me

Time and time again, "Boy, you'll never win,

You'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"

So here's the moral of the story, for myself and anyone else who needs to hear it: don't be distracted by whatever water and winds may be in your life, fix your eyes on Christ, step out of the boat you're in (your comfort zone), and just TRUST! There is so much peace in knowing that the one who calmed the storm doesn't change depending on what "storm" may be wreaking havoc on your life right now. He is unchanging, despite your circumstances. And He is with you, saying, "It is I. Don't be afraid."