August 7

Lord Save Me

"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." Matthew 14: 29-31

 Let's set the scene. The disciples are on a boat without Jesus. A storm arises, waves are crashing about, and the boat is all over the place. Fear is in the air when they see Jesus, walking to them on the water. They aren't sure it is Jesus, they think it might be a ghost. When they call out to him, Jesus responds. Peter asks to come to Jesus and Jesus tells him, "Come." Peter is actually walking on water, that is, until he looks away from Jesus. The wind was just as boisterous prior to Peter's getting out of the boat, the waves were wild; but when he fixes his eyes on Jesus, nothing else matters but getting to his Master, where he would feel safe. Distracted by the winds, he turns his gaze and sees the fury of the elements. Fear overtakes him and he begins to sink. Now, in desperation he cries to the Lord for deliverance and receives it, as Jesus stretches out his hand and grabs Peter. What a story this is! It is not only a lesson in faith, but also a lesson in where we need to place our eyes. When we fix our gaze upon our savior, all else pales! It doesn't matter if the waves and the winds are tossing our "boat" about, because we are in his presence and we know he will keep us safe. When we fix our eyes upon Jesus, amazing things happen! We have power to do the impossible: the Holy Spirit will enable us to do what we could never do on our own. If we allow our gaze to move from Jesus to our situation, fear and worry will overtake us, but rest assured that when you cry out to him for help, he will be there. Jesus will reach out and lift you out of the waters that are engulfing you, just as he did Peter.

 Father, help us to have Peter's faith, a faith that allowed him to go where no one in his right mind would have gone. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus in all the circumstances of our lives. Help us to "tune out" the wind and the waves and all the turmoil in our lives and look only to Him. Keep us focused on what counts! We know that we will not always be faithful in doing this. So in those times when we fail you, when our faith is not what it should be, and we cry out to you in desperation, let us feel the hand of our Savior reaching out to us and lifting us to safety. Thank you. Amen.