Eyes on the Impossible Moments with God, Vol. 128
Eyes On The Impossible1
But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
Matthew 14:30
I have always enjoyed swimming. One afternoon, when I was around six, a group of my mom’s friends with their children gathered at a home with an above-ground pool. The shimmering water and the refreshing coolness it promised captivated me. Before I knew it, I had fallen in! With minimal swimming skills, I panicked and started to sink. Thankfully, a nearby arm grabbed me up, sweeping me into the safety of my mother’s arms. Without proper swimming skills to stay afloat, our bodies sink beneath the surface, proving we cannot walk on water.
Jesus sent the disciples across to the opposite shore in a boat. After speaking to crowds, He needed to spend time with His Father. Jesus went by himself to a mountain to pray. As the disciples headed across the waters, an unexpected windstorm quickly developed, bringing fierce winds that swept them to the middle of the lake. Late in the night, the disciples cried out in alarm as what they perceived to be a ghost was making its way toward them!
But it was Jesus. He was walking on the water to join them. Knowing their fear, Jesus immediately calmed the disciples, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).
Recognizing this was Jesus, Peter just wanted to be with Him. Trusting the Lord’s power and authority over creation, Peter knew that not only could Jesus walk on the water, but He could help Peter walk on the water. What was impossible for man was possible for Jesus. So Peter put out the request. “And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus” (Matthew 14:28–29).
Not only did Peter see the impossible made possible right before his eyes, but Peter also experienced the impossible becoming possible as he himself walked on the water to go to Jesus. When we look to God, what may seem impossible becomes possible when it is according to His plan. But that’s just it. We must look to God, and so often we, too, experience what Peter did next. “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me’” (v. 30).
With the squalls raging around him, Peter took his eyes off the object of his faith—Jesus. The storm and the whirling waters caught his attention, causing him to stumble in his faith. He quit relying on the solid foundation of Christ and began to sink.
Like Peter, we can take our eyes off Jesus and allow the storms raging around us to capture our attention. Often we put our faith in a person or rely on circumstances, and everything falls apart. Circumstances change, and people fail us. Jesus will never fail. With Him as the object of our faith, we have a sure foundation. Peter knew this through seeing and experiencing Jesus making the impossible possible. If he didn’t have faith in Jesus, he never would have asked to walk to Him. However, like Peter in our humanness, we forget what we know and sink as our faith weakens.
What Peter did next, though, reminds us of what we all should do: cry out to Jesus. Fix your eyes back on Him, and allow Him to hold you through the storms of life. Even in times when your trust is weakest and all looks impossible, Jesus wants you to reach out your hands in faith and hold on to Him. He is already reaching out His hand to grasp on to you. Lift up your eyes, and in faith, hold on to Him.
Where does your faith lie? In your circumstances or in another person?
How have you taken your eyes off Him?
As with Peter, Jesus asks us, “Why did you doubt?”
Keep your eyes focused on the One who makes possibilities out of impossibilities.