“You will give him perfect peace whose mind is steadfast on You.” Isaiah 26: 3. I say this verse everyday. I want always, to keep my mind, my sight, on Christ no matter how difficult the circumstances. At present there is looming a situation that brings anxiety and I seek perfect peace by keeping my mind steadfast. The situation, though worrisome, is no greater than what most people have faced before and will face again. Life on earth is chaotic and Jesus will bring me through. In Matthew 14: 22-33, Jesus comes to the disciples with the storm, walking on the water. The wind and waves batter the boat just as chaos, turmoil and change batter our lives. We, as Peter, hear Christ say,
“Take courage,” “Do not be afraid.” Peter shows us how we should respond.
“Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” If the storm is of God’s doing, the difficult circumstances are meant to bring us closer to Him. Peter got out of the boat. He acted courageously. As long as his gaze was on Jesus he walked on the waves. He conquered through Christ who strengthened him. When he became afraid, he focused more on the circumstances and sank. The situation overcame him. I can relate. Verse 31 is my favorite of the whole passage.
“Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him.” I’m guessing it was a very powerful grip. It comforts me to know that in life’s storms I can come through walking above the waves, unafraid, with my mind steadfast on Jesus. If my faith falters and I look more at the problems of life instead of Christ, He will grab hold. A Hymnist wrote it best with these lyrics;
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
in the light of His glory and grace.”
"In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety. Psalm 4: 8.
2 comments:
This is great. We can see how we can focus our lives the right way. Even though we step off the right path. Jesus is there ready to grab our hand and put us back on track. It is easy to be like the other disciples in the boat. Seeing the high waves and the strong winds. Knowing that they will surely die. The great thing is. When we walk on our faith seeking after Jesus and the way we should go. The storms dissapear. The waves calm down. The wind is just a thought. The same thing will happen with our problems. When we seek after Him. We will notice the big storms are not really big storms at all. Thanks Gary for this post. Have a great weekend.
I am so glad, you reminded me of this song we sang all the time in college. Surely when trouble surrounds us, the only person who can help is our Lord Jesus.
A very heartfelt post.
God Bless.
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