Devotional: Sinking Christians

Matthew 14:25-33 “But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matt. 14:30, NASB). Two weeks ago I wrote on the subject, “A Witness for Jesus Christ.” I stated that people want to be politically correct, but in so doing they may be falling away from the truth. We may be afraid to preach and teach the truth of the Gospel because the voices that cry out against us are so loud and strong. The philosophies of the world can make us afraid of walking with Jesus, and we may find ourselves sinking instead. In the story today, Peter and the other disciples have followed Jesus’ instructions. They are on a boat headed to the destination that Jesus has given to them. A storm arose on the sea and the waves threatened to capsize their boat because the strong winds were blowing against them. Jesus comes walking on the water. After Jesus confirms that He is not a ghost Peter asks permission to meet Jesus on the water. Peter’s request comes from his limited faith because of his limited knowledge of Jesus. Peter is doing just fine until he sees the effects of the winds in spite of Jesus’ presence. When Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to notice the strength of the wind and waves he begins to sink. Now, this is a story in which what is physical demonstrates what sometimes happens to us in the spiritual. When we hear doctrines and philosophies we may pay more attention to them than we do on the doctrines and teachings of Jesus. This leads to us not exercising faith in Jesus. We begin to doubt His words. When we find ourselves sinking because of the storms, we too, like Peter must cry out to Jesus. This story assures us that Jesus hears our cries. He knows our fears. He will respond to our cries by rescuing us.