One of the most teaching passages of Scripture is found in Matthew 14:22-33.  Jesus had just fed the 5,000, and had sent the disciples ahead of Him to the land of Gennesart on the other side of the sea of Galilee.  Jesus took the opportunity to spend time alone with God.  Verse 23 tells us “After he had sent the crowds away He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray, and when it was evening, He was there alone.” The boat the disciples were in was having a tough time making it across the sea.  The winds were blowing and the waves were contrary to them causing their progress to slow to a near standstill.  It was during the fourth watch (between 3-6 A.M.) that they saw Jesus walking toward them and the Bible said, “They were terrified and said it was a ghost, and they cried out in fear.” Jesus’ response to them was to encourage them and said “Take courage, it is I;  do not be afraid.”

Had everything ended there, then all would have been well.  However it seems Peter had lost track of where he was and that the storm they were battling was still raging.  He turns from the task at hand and addresses the Lord.  Peter said, “Lord if it is you command me to come to you on the water.”  Jesus simply said “Come.”  Peter did well for the first few steps, but the second he took his eyes off the Master he began to sink and cry out to Jesus.  The Lord saved him and the two entered the boat and the wind stopped, and they all worshiped Him.
The lessons from this passage are relevant to us in our journey to heaven.  The first would be that it is a good thing to spend time alone with God.  Jesus saw the value of this and people since have also seen the benefits of time alone with our creator.  For one thing it gives us time to look inwardly and as

someone once wrote “Spend time alone and see why thy soul doth wear.”  Being alone and shutting out the noise that demands our attention allows us to really see who and what we are.  It would be healthy for us to ask God to help us see ourselves as we really are. Secondly, we learn that storms are not predictable.  We can never know when they will hit.  Everything seems to be going fine and suddenly we are faced with a crises and like Jesus’ apostles we do all we can to make it through. However, sometimes we need to look for God in the midst of our turmoil.  When the apostles saw Jesus, even if they were not sure who He was, they should have welcomed Him into the boat once He identified Himself.  Notice when He got in the boat, everything went calm.
God is in your crises, and if you would simply invite Him into your situation He will calm your fears and guide you through what it is you are struggling with. Finally, keep your eyes on Jesus.  Once Peter looked away at the waves he began to sink. Don’t make the same mistake.

Norm Russell, pastor, Church of Christ, North Bend, Oregon USA — churchofchristnb.com