Once the fear of seeing a man walk on water had subsided, Peter "told" Jesus, in essence, to prove Himself, "If it is You then command me to come to you on the water." So Jesus said, "Come." As Peter's eyes were focused upon Jesus, he also defied the laws of this world. But in a moment, as his eyes looked to the tossing winds and unstable waters, Peter's fear arose and he began to sink. Why? He started to gaze upon his circumstances rather than the One who would enable him to overcome.
No one likes to go through the wind and waves of life. We wouldn't choose it, I suppose. But trials will come simply because our world is fallen. So what is the hope in the midst of the fire? If we learn from Peter then we see that setting our gaze upon our Lord, rather than our circumstance, enables us to defy our world's expectations--enables us to walk on water. Fear will come; it is a natural response to the unknown. But as we abide in the love of God, trusting Him to never leave or forsake His own, preaching to our own spirit His promises, then fear is cast aside. As John declares in 1 John 4:18, "there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..."
Though it is much easier typed here in this blog entry than lived out in the everyday moments of life, the truth from scripture remains: we will be victorious, in spite of our circumstance, as we set our gaze upon Him. Keep at it, friend; slip into the armor of God and fight the fight of faith.
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