'Floaties' of Faith

 “Come,” he said. 
 Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  Matthew 14:29-31


"Splash Day is here!" as my son shot out of bed, he excitedly screamed.
As I drove them to school, I gave them last minute tips on being extra careful. 'Don't run around the pool' 'Your floaties should be all the way up' 'Make sure to put more sunscreen' 'If you feel like your drowning, take a huge breath and push your feet off the floor to come back up.'

My son very matter of factly said "we'll have our floaties, so we won't drown Mom. Going in without our floaties would be crazy!"

Yes it would son, it would be absolutely crazy to be in an unfamiliar place without something to save you when things go awry. However, I admit that I have left my "floaties" aside when things have gone south. 

It usually takes a powerful sermon, a devotional with perfect timing, or wise words from God's very Word to pick me up and face the world head on. At that very moment I feel like I can do anything, as God will be by my side. 

Then Jesus calls my name and says "Come child, come to me." As I take my first step out of my comfort zone, I begin to realize the situation around me becomes real. It is no longer just the sound of the howling wind I hear. Now it is the raging wind tossing me like a ragged doll from side to side. It is now the pouring rain drenching me in a second. The roaring thunder now makes me walk cowardly towards my Savior, and before going any further, I begin to sink.

I am so fortunate to have a Savior who stands true to His name. He saves me from going completely under. He pulls me up with His hand. His next words pierce my heart. 'You of little faith. Why did you doubt?'

At that point I could imagine sputtering many words to try to justify me, 'But Lord, the waves and the wind and the thunder, it was just too much!'

What would Jesus' answer be to that? I think we all know. Phillipians 4:13 gets right to it 'I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me.'

It's not most things, not little things, not a couple of things, it is ALL things.

Our faith in Christ, knowing that He can carry us and that He can calm the storm, is what will keep us from drowning into despair, desperation, and hopelessness. It is what we need to walk steadily with our eyes fixed on Him all the way. The storm around us may still go on. The wind will still toss the boat around, the thunder will still break through the clouds, the rain will pour even harder, but the storm that He will be sure to calm will be the one within. He will reach into your heart and give you an overwhelming sense of peace and strenght to steadily walk towards the One who saves. Jesus Christ, King of my heart. King of all.

PRAYER

Dear Father, we come to you tired and weary. We come to you with tear stained cheeks. We come to you offering the broken pieces of our hearts. We come to you because we know that you are the only One that can save. The waves of life Lord, are so tough to bear. Remind us that only through you Father we can find the peace to calm our storm.