Keeping Your Head Above Water

25. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them walking on the sea.

26. And when the Disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a spirit,” and they cried out for fear.

27. But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

28. And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, bid me come to You on the water.”

29. And He said, “Come.” And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

30. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, “Lord save me.”

31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His Hand, and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

32. And when they came into the ship, the wind ceased.

Matthew 15:25-32

Finding Your Path

A popular joke I heard in seminary was about three preachers who were fishing out on a lake. One was a Pentecostal, one was a Catholic, and one was a Baptist. The Pentecostal said to his fishing partners, “I left something back at the dock.” The others asked, “do you want us to take the boat back to the dock?” The Pentecostal preacher responded, “No, I can get it.” So, he stepped out of the boat and walked on the water to the dock and returned with his tackle box. A couple of minutes later, the Catholic priest said, “I left my Bible at the dock.” Without hesitating, he got out of the boat and headed back to shore, walking on the water. Well, the Baptist preacher was fidgeting now. He certainly was not going to be outdone. So, he made up a reason to head back to the dock in order to prove he too could walk on water. He stepped out of the boat and immediately sank into the water. The Pentecostal preacher and the Catholic priest grabbed him and pulled him back into the boat. Before they could say a word, he stepped out the other side of the boat. They pulled him back into the boat again. Before he could step out of the boat the third time the Pentecostal preacher looked at the Catholic priest and said, “I guess we should show him the rock path that leads back to the dock.”

While that story is humorous, the struggle to keep from drowning from the cares of life is no joke. Much like our Baptist friend, many of us fight to survive while others seem to find that rock path so easily. Those around us seem to be financially well off and never have to worry about drowning under debt. It seems that other peoples’ children are always at their best behavior, while many face the threatening waters of parental issues. Health wise, others who are much older than us seem to be doing fine, and yet you are trying to keep your head above water and stay healthy. There are days when you shake your head and say, “if it ain’t one thing it’s another.” The more you tell yourself, “this should not be happening,” that seems to intensify the fierce waters of trouble. I know people say, “don’t worry because trouble won’t last always,” but it seems to be taking up a whole lot of time in your life. Sometimes life just seems to be one big lake of problems. In those “pity party moments,” you need to remind yourself that it may look like the trouble is looming large and winning, but Jesus is on the scene. The very things that cause those problems in life, Jesus will show you how to walk over them. With Jesus, you will step over those health issues. With Jesus, you will step over that trouble in your home. With Jesus, you will step over that sea of difficulty. Like the Apostle Paul, you will say to yourself, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

It all begins with that request for permission to walk towards Jesus. Peter was bold but not presumptuous. He knew there had to be a path, so he asked Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, bid me come to You on the water” … And He said, “Come.” The decision we have to make is between staying in the boat of safety, sinking in the sea of trouble, or walking on the water towards Jesus.  I know that walking on water seems to be out of the question. Yet, those are the very moments when God Almighty wants to test our faith and show us His Power, His Path, and His Presence. It all starts with believing that it is not the time to sink but time to start the real walk of faith.

Acknowledge the Threats

There are some important things you need to know about threats before you get out of the boat. The threats don’t go away just because you decide to follow Jesus. The water is still deep; the wind is just as loud; and the waves are just as treacherous. These are called natural threats in life. While many view such threats as harmful, there is another side to these natural perils. The 16th century headmaster at Eton and Winchester College in England, William Horman, saw difficulties as the “mother of invention.” God has designed these natural calamities as a means of growing us in faith and helping us to become more Christlike. Such natural threats are designed to help us mature spiritually. No one would expect to breeze through the educational process without ever taking a test. No one would expect to become a soldier without going through the necessary training. So it is in life, we must face certain character building situations that will help us to become mature.

Not only do we face natural threats in life, but we also face people threats. The people threats are sometimes greater than the challenges coming from the natural calamities. People problems can cause you more pain. The chances of you getting struck by lightening more than once is very rare, but the chances of you being the object of scorn and ridicule from people can happen every day. The biggest problem is that you don’t know what they will say about you and what they will try to do to you. In the Bible, David faced people problems from King Saul. He faced people problem from those who were supposed to be on his side. Even in his old age, King David faced people problems from his own son Absalom, who tried to kill him in order to become king of Israel. Jesus said in St. John 16:33, in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. What did Jesus mean by that statement? For starters, Jesus was saying “people will hate you because of your faith in Me.” Some people will even falsely accuse you and mistreat you, but don’t let that bother you because Jesus has overcome the world. You see, Jesus has given each one of us the beckoning call and invitation to “Come to Him.” Yes, the threats are real, but the step of faith is worth it. You will not be disappointed if you step out on the water for Jesus.

There is another real threat that we often ignore, and that is the influence of the devil. Yes, he is actively seeking to destroy you and everything you do in life. This is not cause for alarm however because we have the reassuring Word of Jesus that calls us out of the boat and onto the waters of life. When Jesus declared that He had overcome the world, He especially meant His victory over Satan. The closer you get to Jesus, the more the devil will attack, but the closer you get to Jesus, the more power you will have to overcome the enemy. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. We overcome the devil by our testimony and the Blood of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:11.

The absolute greatest threat to you in life is not the howling wind or the chattering of the crowd. The absolute greatest threat in life is not Satan. Your biggest obstacle in life is the object located between your two ears. It is your thoughts and the presence of doubt in your life. Jesus did not say to Peter, “blame your problems on the wind.” Jesus did not tell Peter, “the devil is on your track.” Jesus did not accuse the people as the cause of Peter sinking. Jesus said to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” The sooner you stop blaming people for your hardships in life, the sooner you will begin the road to recovery from fear. You can keep on trying to make everything and everyone else your enemy, but that will only postpone your ability to rise above the waves of life. You must start admitting that the only true cause for failure is your lack of faith.

Finding Your Own Path on the Water

It is surprising that some people don’t believe that we can do the things that Jesus did. The truth is, when you are stuck between sinking and living, you will try anything to keep your head above water. My recommendation is not to simply try Jesus but go to Jesus. The Lord did not say to Peter, “let’s see if you can make it.” The Lord did not ask Peter to give it his best shot. When it comes to Jesus, there is no trying about it. You simply trust Him. He said to Peter one Word, “Come.” That is all it takes.

So, with that, I want to leave you with four things that will always keep your head above water. These may be referred to as the Four Life Jackets of Life. The first life jacket that starts the walk towards Jesus is designed to get you out of the comfort boat. You must simply stop looking for comfort and start looking for opportunity. While serving as CEO of the Tri-County Community Action Agency in South Boston, Virginia, God gave me a vision to start “Opportunity Park.” That program was designed to get people out of their “boat of poverty” and bring them to a place of opportunity. At the Opportunity Park they could find employment assistance, legal assistance, housing assistance, medical attention, and mental health support. The key to everything was for them to come out and seek the support needed for them to move ahead.

In a very real sense, God calls us to His “Opportunity Park.” He called Noah to build an ark. That was Noah’s opportunity. God called Joshua the son of Nun to be a leader for the people of Israel. That was Joshua’s opportunity. Jesus was calling Peter to an opportunity to walk on water. That was Peter’s opportunity. Right now, you need to ask Jesus about the opportunities He has for your life. I guarantee that the Call that God makes on your life will not only keep your head above water, but you will also rise and declare the wonderful works of God in your life.

The second life jacket of life is to believe that you can accomplish something through God’s Power. In stepping out of the boat of comfort it does not take long to realize that the waves are stronger than you. Peter stepped out and instantly the wind started to howl a message of danger and doubt. What was happening? Peter started relying on his own abilities. Proverbs 3:5-6 provides some great direction for believing that you can only accomplish something through God’s Power. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean to your own understanding … in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Acknowledging God seems so simple, but it must be applied. To help us apply this truth we need the third life jacket.

The third life jacket of life simply warns to not allow others talk you out of what God talked you into. Clearly, Peter had listened to the voice of doubt. Jesus said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Question: are you better a doubting than you are at believing. Don’t let anyone or anything speak negativity into your spirit. Don’t even listen to that inner voice of reason if it is talking crazy. God did not bring you this far, keep you this long, or bless you that much for you to ignore what He told you. Here is the key. If you are in over your head, let God talk you through that trial. Let God talk you through that sickness. He will not leave you. He promised to always be with you so listen to His Voice of Truth. Yes, the Voice of Truth tells a different story! 

The fourth life jacket of life is to simply maintain your focus on Jesus. Nothing in life should ever cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. There is none lovelier than Jesus. There is no Power greater than Jesus. He is our Rock in a weary land. Jesus is our Rock Solid Path through life. Maintain your focus and keep walking. With Jesus you are safe!