Stop Looking Around

This is a reblog of my blog post dated June 22, 2021 https://lifehub.home.blog/2021/06/22/stop-looking-around/

Troubles are natural part of life. Who does not have to deal with troubles of life? From birth to death, life can present many situations where we experience fear, worry, and confusion. 

Just this week, our family had to go through the ordeal of a sudden jolt of trouble. I won’t go into the details but I tell you it is not ordinary such that it made us scared and panicky. By the looks of it, this trouble is not going away for quite some time. We have to deal with it from now on. 

As I laid down that night, about to sleep, I felt waves of worry come splashing around me. I felt like sinking into deep waters thinking how we could possibly go through this. I was praying to the Lord. My faith tells me that He is with us in this problem but my emotions were running wild and becoming too overwhelming as my mind started to think of the worst possible things to happen. Then, as I was praying, the Lord put to remembrance that particular story in Matthew 14:25-33 where Peter asked Jesus to let him walk on the water to meet Him. And, right that moment, the picture of that story when Peter started sinking in the water and called out to Jesus to save him, flashed through my mind. Instantly, I was convicted by these words “look to Jesus”. As I recalled the passage, what happened to Peter, the Lord led me to realize that in these big waves of troubles I see around, I have to stop looking at the waves and just look at Him. Look at Jesus and only Jesus. The waves and winds are there but don’t look around. Look to Jesus. When I look around me, I will sink because fear consumes me. But when I look to Jesus, I have peace. I have salvation! When Jesus taught me this, right that moment, I felt complete peace. I felt fear drawing away. Instead, fear was replaced with peace and confidence in Jesus.

The Lord reminded me right then and there that He is stronger, mightier, and bigger than the waves I see around me. And, when I was crying out to Him to save me from the waves of troubles, as with Peter, He is there ready to reach out, to save and meet me halfway in what amount of faith I have. When Peter cried out to Jesus to save him from sinking into the waters because he grew afraid of the waves and the wind around, Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to hold Peter.

“Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:31 (WEB)

Giant waves? Great winds? Huge storms of life? Yes, they happen. Our boat can violently rock and toss by the waves of troubles of life. But Jesus saves! He readily reaches out His hand to hold us and remind us to have faith in Him.

I believe that is exactly what happened to me the night I was accosted by fears and worries. When I cried out “Lord Jesus, help!” He immediately held my hand and took hold of me and reminded me to look to Him alone and have faith. And there was great calm.

Do not fear! Look to Jesus. He takes hold of you.