When You Take Your Eyes Off Jesus

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:30 We do not know how far Jesus was from the boat when Peter stepped onto the water, but suppose Jesus was 50 feet from the boat. Jesus said, “Come,” and Peter put one foot on the water. It held. Then he swung his weight over the side of the boat and stood with both feet on the water. He looked at Jesus and took his first step forward, then a second, and then a third. He was doing it—Peter was walking on water. He walked ten feet, twenty, and then thirty. He started to think, “This is amazing! What I am doing is quite remarkable!” Then he looked at the wind, and when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. There is a warning for us here: if God enables us to accomplish great things, we must beware of being captivated by our own achievements. Fear rushed in when Peter took his eyes off Jesus. Can I withstand this wind? How long can I keep this up? And he began to sink. “And beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’” Being saved is more important than some experience that may have happened when you first trusted Jesus. Being saved means that you have a living saviour, who is always for you, always with you, and you can always count on Him. When Peter cried out, “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (14:31). Jesus may let you sink deep enough to realise that you cannot save yourself. But He will never let you go. He will reach out His hand and take hold of you. Are you still looking at Jesus? Or are you focused on what you are doing for Him? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish