Keeping Our Eyes Focused on God by Tynea Lewis

One of my favorite passages in scripture is when Jesus invites Peter to walk out onto the water with him. It clearly shows God’s power while revealing our humanity.

After Jesus fed the five thousand, the disciples got in a boat and went ahead of Jesus to the other side. That evening, the boat was being tossed around by the waves. When Jesus walked out to them on the water, they were terrified and thought he was a ghost.

Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28 NIV), and Jesus told him to come. He did…

“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30 NIV)

I can relate to Peter so much. I have seen God do incredible things in my life, and yet even in the midst of those incredible things, I can find myself sinking. As soon as I take my eyes off of God, the storm of this life and the waves I see surrounding me fill my heart with fear.

Peter listened to Jesus as soon as he was told to come out onto the water. But then Peter quickly allowed his human fears and doubts to get in the way.

When we keep our focus on God, we can do incredible things. We can follow through with what God has called us to do. God gives us the ability to do things we could never do on our own. When we are called to do those things, there will most likely still be a storm swirling around us. There are going to be things that try to knock us down and drown us. When we allow them to become our focus, we will stumble and fall. We will lose sight of what we have been called to do and what God can do through us.

But when our eyes stay fixed on Jesus, it doesn’t matter what is happening around us. Calamity could be closing in, but when we stand firm on what God says, we will not be moved. We will be able to do incredible things, things that bring incredible glory to God.

Lord, thank you for calling us to do incredible things. Help us step out in faith and not doubt. Please help us keep our eyes focused on you instead of the storm around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.