Gaze At The Savior

“Even the winds and the waves obey Him.” Matthew 8:27

Two years ago, Don and I had the experience of a lifetime. We traveled to Israel, and while we were there, we experienced the blessing of sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

This was pretty exciting for us.  I mean THIS was where Jesus walked on water. It was HERE He calmed the wind and the waves. THIS is the place where Jesus performed miracle after miracle!  And being RIGHT THERE was a life-changing, unforgettable experience that took my breath away.

 We sailed on the Sea of Galilee on a beautiful, sunny, but very windy Saturday morning. The waves were choppy.  The boat was a rockin.’

As we rocked away, I was reminded of something I had recently read in Matthew 14. However, something exciting happened—the words I read in my Bible, printed in black and white, felt like they were leaping off the page and coming to life in vibrant, high-definition color!

In Matthew 14, we read about a sudden and fierce storm that struck one night while Jesus’ disciples were fishing. They were filled with fear, but their terror increased when they saw something moving across the water towards them. According to Matthew, they believed it was a ghost.

I’ve been curious about who those disciples were, but Matthew only shares the name of one: Peter. Interesting, isn’t it? I wonder if it has anything to do with Peter’s tendency to “open mouth, insert foot.” (No, not literally, but you’ll see what I mean as the story continues.)

I totally get why those disciples thought it was a ghost! I’ve tried walking on water, but unfortunately, it hasn’t worked. To be honest, I don't know anyone else who has succeeded in doing it either!

You might find it hard to believe, but that so-called “ghost” was actually Jesus “showing off” by walking on water during the storm.

Jesus yelled out, “Don’t be afraid. It is I.”

Here’s where Peter “opens mouth, inserts foot.”

He said, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

Jesus response?  “Come.”

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the…wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Peter was fine until he took his eyes off Jesus; when he did, fear gripped him. Peter was paralyzed by fear, and down he went… into the deep blue sea. As he sank, the Bible tells us Peter cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me.”

Notice what happened next. 

“Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him.”  

Isn’t it amazing how Jesus didn’t hesitate for even one second? 

Don’t you love that? 

Then, Jesus got to the reason Peter was sinking. He said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

 Isn't that the question for all of us? Why do we doubt?

We want to be women who trust God unconditionally! We desire to observe the storm surrounding us and recognize that God remains in control. We aim to emulate Peter, who ventured out of the boat; however, we often behave more like Peter, who lost his focus on Jesus and started to sink.    

You might remember that I shared on my blog two weeks ago about a friend of Don and mine named Arnold Hammarberg, who is now with the Lord. In that post I shared that one of Arnold’s favorite sayings was, “Gaze at the Savior.  Glance at the problem.”

That was what Jesus wanted Peter to do. 

“Peter, just keep your eyes on me, and I promise I’ll take care of you.”

But when Peter looked away from Jesus and focused on the problem, that’s when he started to sink. 

But wait, there’s more to this story! Just as Jesus and Peter got back in the boat, the storm stopped.

As we sailed on the water, many thoughts swirled through my mind, bringing this story to life. After reflecting on the powerful moment between Jesus and Peter on the Sea of Galilee, tears of emotion filled my eyes. It’s so incredible to think that 4 amazing miracles unfolded right here!

Jesus walked on the water.

Peter walked on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus.

Even the wind and the waves obeyed Jesus.

Jesus had total control before, during, and after the storm.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is in control of everything, and I truly mean everything that happens in your life and mine.

Life is full of storms—lots of storms. May we learn in the middle of our storms, as Peter did during this storm, to GAZE at the Savior and GLANCE at the problem.

As Matthew finished his narrative about what happened that night on the Sea of Galilee, he wrote, “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:32, 33

Please join me in worshipping in song as we “Turn Our Eyes Upon Jesus.”