“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6 NIV).
Peter doubted and found himself sinking in the middle of the lake in high winds and huge waves. (Matt. 14:30) Doubt can destroy your faith. Peter was well aware of this as he started sinking and called for Jesus to save him. You see Peter and the apostles were out in a boat in the middle of the night. The wind was buffeting their boat, and it was about ready to sink when they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them. At first they were afraid, but Jesus told them not to be afraid. Peter, being the compulsive guy that he was said, “Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matt. 14:28 NIV). The Lord told him to come. So Peter jumped out of that fishing boat and started to walk on the water, keeping his eyes on Jesus. Now the mistake Peter made was that he took his eyes off Jesus and noticed the big wind and became afraid. That is when he started to sink and yell for Jesus to help him. The reassuring thing is that Jesus took him by the hand and caught him. But he also gave him a little scolding saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matt. 14:31 NIV).
When we find ourselves in the middle of turmoil instead of sinking in doubt and despair we need to call out Jesus name, and He will lift us out of the sea of dismay. This story gives us so much hope that He is always there for us when we feel as if we are sinking from a great load of care. Taking hold of His hand and trusting Him to give us peace, just like He did for those in that boat, will lift our spirit. Let us trust Him with all of our cares, knowing that He will always be our strength when we are weak.
Dear Lord,
Just as Peter, it is easy for us to doubt when the storms of life assail us. Help us to take hold of your hand knowing that you can be trusted with every aspect of our lives. We trust you in our storms and know that with you by our side we can make it through the worst storm with the knowledge that you will never leave us or forsake us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
