Matthew 14: 25-31

²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

²⁶ And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

²⁷ But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

²⁸ And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

²⁹ And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

³⁰ But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

³¹ And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Many of us, as believers of Lord Jesus Christ, have a deep desire to do something for the Lord’s Kingdom. Whether it is evangelism, charity or some other noble ministry to help God’s children in our neighborhoods, our communities or people across the world. However, many of us struggle with the question, ‘Am I equipped enough?’ In our desire for being part of the Lord’s Kingdom, we ask the Lord to bless us with special gifts. God, in His great love, grants us one or multiple special gifts. He equips us for whatever mission He wants to use us for furthering the Gospel of truth. He even opens the right doors for us to enter, so the ministry that He called us to would be effective and bring glory to His name. He closes all other doors, prevents us from going to certain people or places. He even gives us the right words to speak and the right tools to use.

Peter was one of those disciples who was impulsive, eager and on fire for Jesus. All the disciples in the boat were petrified when they saw a ghost like figure walking towards them on water. When they learned that it was Jesus, Peter was the only one who mustered up the courage to ask Jesus to command him to come to Him. When Jesus asked him to come, Peter was bold enough to step out in faith and walked towards Jesus. He was able to walk a little distance before he got distracted by the billowing waves and howling winds. The moment he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked around, he began to sink. However, Jesus reached out, stretched forth His hand and rescued Peter.

When as believers of Jesus Christ, as disciples on fire for Jesus, we step out in faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus. However, the cares of this world, the distractions around us cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Sometimes, the initial success of the work could cause us to be proud. Sometimes, we do beyond what we are supposed to do, relying on our own strength. We fail to recognize that we need our Lord’s strength and not bank on ours which is weak and failing. Sometimes our desires get in the way of God’s plans. Sometimes, we get distracted by the applause we receive. Sometimes we get carried away by the worldly standards and fail to recognize that we are special and chosen by God. Our lives may not be typical of the world’s standards. We fail to recognize that we are set apart for His work.

That is when we sink. We sink into a cesspool of self-pity and failure. We cannot seem to understand why all our best efforts are not producing the results. We fail to recognize that we got distracted. We fail to recognize that our focus has shifted from Jesus to the world. We fail to recognize whose mission it was in the first place. We fail to recognize our utmost priority. Like Peter, let us cry out to Jesus to save us. Let us reach out to grab onto His outstretched arm. He will safely carry us through stormy waters.

Dear Saint of God, don’t get disheartened by the failure. Don’t get disappointed when the right opportunity doesn’t open up. We may be distracted but we need to refocus on Jesus. We must ask Jesus to bid us come to Him. We must remember on whose business we are about. It’s not ours but His. He will accomplish His purposes the best way He chooses. We must just remain with Him, and in Him. For His strong arm is always there to rescue us when we are failing, when we are sinking, and when we are distracted. He will ensure that the fire He lit in us will keep on burning, shining brightly His light in us for the world to see.