Faith Knitted Living

This morning in my quiet time with the Lord I was thinking about all the things I need to be prepared for the day. I thanked God as I usually do and started running through the laundry list. My mind was brought to genuine worship and was reminded that if I don’t worship God, the rocks will. (Luke 19:36-40) I love that reminder. Creation was designed to worship God but He wants us to worship Him!

What does that have to do with distraction? Well, welcome to my brain! Because I started in giving thanks and too quickly moved into preparation mode. I started noticing a little needling feeling of overwhelm. What if I forget something? What if I’m not prepared for the meeting I have planned this morning? What if??? It was in that moment that the Lord gently reminded me of the night Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and he wanted to go to him. (Matthew 14:22-33) There was a storm with great waves rocking the boat. Yet when Jesus told Peter it was Him, Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus and stepped out of the boat. I can see this scene so vividly in my mind.

As the story tells it when Peter stepped out the wind and waves were still tossing and Peter got out of the boat anyway. As long as his eyes were fixed on God’s son, he was good! At some point though Peter’s gaze shifted. He noticed where he was and what was going on around him. He got distracted by the wind and the waves. The story doesn’t mention it but I imagine there was also distraction from those still in the boat. The point is when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. Fear overwhelmed him. “What if I am drowned?” “What if the sea swallows me up?” What if? What if?

In this moment Peter cried out to Jesus! “Save me!” Doesn’t that sound right? Walking through life with Jesus, keeping your eyes fixed on Him. You KNOW that the one your faith is in won’t let you be engulfed by the storm. Then the storm gets bigger. One thing after another. Wave after wave. Eventually you start noticing the waves more than you notice Jesus. Or you’re in ministry. And God is your focus. Then there are hiccups. Situations change. Family life changes. What ifs come in. The noise and the waves become the focus. And you start sinking. Distracted and trying to do it in your own strength you realize it is too big, too much. But Jesus called you to be there!!

Do you cry out “Save me!”? Do you reach for the hand of the Lord to pull you out and remind you to fix your eyes on Him? Distractions are meant to keep us focused on anything but God. They cause fear, doubt, overwhelm. Jesus’ hand is always stretched out. Waiting for the focus to return to Him and the Father. Recognizing that your focus has shifted and that you NEED Him in every breath of every day is where walking through the wind and the waves with peace can happen. Focused faith doesn’t make the distractions go away. It just shifts perspective. Jesus calmed the storm at the end of the story. Jesus will calm the distractions in your life. Fix your eyes on Him.

Give the what ifs to God. Stop giving the distractions and noise opportunity to breed fear and overwhelm. Cry out to God! And to circle back to worship, don’t let the rocks cry out for you. Let your life be littered with praise, fixed on the one who can bring peace and calm the storm!

Much love and many prayers!