Imagine this, your boss leaves you with the task of leading your peers to the other side of a project, when all of a sudden, a storm hits. Hard. Abruptly, the winds change and you begin to feel as if even God’s Spirit is contrary to you. Exhausted, surrounded by the negativity, noise, gloom, and darkness, struggling against an unseen enemy – unable to get anywhere – you wonder where your hope has gone. This storm…perhaps it is your work, maybe it is your home life…either way, somehow, the responsibility seems to magnify and you begin to feel as if you’ve been commanded to accomplish the impossible.
As a prison minister, that is – a prisoner who deals in prison ministry – I see this same scenario played out around me daily, both in my life and in the lives of others. Crying out, caught up in the storm, we’re just looking for a hand…because we all have our fears, doubts, and insecurities. It is all too natural for our minds to lose focus and be drawn to the negatives. Trust me when I say this, I know, I get it. When storms come, scars hurt. In these times, when I feel myself sinking, I remember Matthew 14:31 (NKJV), “And immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?'”.
We often think of Christ belittling our lack of faith – as Peter – forgetting that Peter was the only one with enough faith to step out of the boat…the same little faith of which Christ claimed could move mountains. We often believe Peter’s doubts were of Christ, but Christ wasn’t sinking, Peter was. Preoccupied with the storm, Peter’s doubts were his own. It was doubt in himself – whether he’d be able to obey God’s command, complete the task, amidst the storm fueling his fears and insecurities… and despite all of this, His help was only a call away.
So often we forget that God’s command to walk on His Word is not Him belittling us, but rather Him answering the requests we have made to Him. Think of it this way, Christ is saying, “Why do you doubt? I believe in you more than you believe in me.” When we believe in Him, it should only magnify our confidence when He believes in us – prompting us into the impossible. Remember, the more value you place on Christ’s opinion of you, the more value He extends to you. Never forget that your help is only one call away…so, next time you find yourself caught up in the storm, call out to God, and let yourself be caught in the storm.
