Eyes Fixed on Jesus

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary” (Matthew 14:24).

Following the miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the people away and instructed the disciples to go away, also. It had been an exhausting day and the Master sought a little rest. But the disciples’ boat got caught in a storm, and although they were seasoned sailors, the fierceness of the storm caused some alarm. They may have found some comfort in the fact that Jesus was nearby, but they did not expect what happened next.

“Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’” (Matthew 14:25-26). Actually, the disciples were terrified, but Peter took a bold step of faith and left the boat. One glimpse of his Savior was enough for him! “[Peter] said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water’” (14:28). So, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, Peter took that step out of the boat. He was not showing off his faith or trying to belittle anyone, he simply wanted to be nearer his Lord.

While it is true that Peter sank when he took his eyes off the Lord, he discovered a place in Christ above the stormy, raging sea. He was walking over what threatened him to get to Jesus. The faith that kept him above it all for a while could have kept him indefinitely. But he took his eyes off Christ and permitted the turmoil around him to cast down his confidence.

The story of Peter reminds us that the worse the crisis, the more diligently a Christian needs to pursue Christ. May you look into his face in the midst of your crisis and pray, “Draw me closer to you, Lord. Let everything in my life drive me to you!”