Ever Have That Sinking Feeling?

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

Ever feel overwhelmed by life? Sometimes it feels as if, no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to keep your head above water.

Peter felt like that.  He and the Disciples were in a boat because Jesus has told them to go ahead.  A storm came up and was bouncing the boat around, when they saw Jesus (thinking He was a ghost) walking on the water toward them.  Jesus told them who it was and for them not to worry.  Then Peter (and I love Peter) told Jesus to prove it was Him by letting him (Peter) walk on the water too.  

Jesus told Peter to "come on in."  So Peter hopped over the side and started walking toward Jesus.  And then...."Reality" set in!  Peter took his focus off of Jesus and started looking at the noisy and the in-your-face storm, with the wind and the waves, and Peter got scared.  When Peter got scared, he began to slip under the water.  When he fixed his focus on Jesus, the storm was not a bother.  But when he started looking at the storm instead of Jesus, the storm became overwhelming!

Let's face it, Life has a way of being loud, in-you-face, and overwhelming.  But when you stop for a moment to think about it, no matter what life throws at us, Jesus is right there with us reminding us that He is our life preserver!

Consider what God has told us in Isaiah 43:1-3:

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Keep your focus on Jesus and the things of this world will grow strangely dim.