Recognize Opportunity

Matthew 14:30 “But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord save me!”

It can happen to all of us. We have a game plan. We write the blueprint out for our next journey. Then we gather and obtain the resources we need to begin that new journey. Along the way things happen. Sometimes things don’t go as smoothly as we plan. In fact, obstacles appear that seem to block or maybe even destroy an avenue we were attempting to move forward on.

This is what happened to Peter. In the text above, Peter can see Jesus walking on the water. He asks Jesus, in verse 38, “Lord if it’s You, command me to come to You…” Jesus tells him to “...Come…” Peter starts off well. He gets out of the boat and begins to walk on the water. This is how we begin as well. We pray and ask God for guidance just like Peter did. And in our prayers God will guide us. In anticipation of God answering our prayers, we step out of our boats and begin to walk on a path we’ve never walked before. We do it because God tells us to ‘...Come…’  

But then it happens. The world around us will throw things at us. These obstacles represent the ‘wind’ in the scripture that took Peter’s attention. These obstacles can be people, situations, or past memories coming back to agitate unhealed wounds. When these things happen, we want to quit. We get frustrated as the obstacles thrown at us make us tired. We begin to lean toward negative ‘mindsets’ like, ‘Maybe this isn’t for me.’ We begin to sink in our own ‘oceans of trials’ as we, like Peter, take our eyes off Jesus and focus on all the chaos around us.

Jesus already gave us what we need in verse 27, when He said, “Have courage!” Jesus not only tells us to be brave, He is also telling us that He has already conquered what we are afraid of. When we know Jesus has conquered, we can then accept the wind of chaos and trial, not as an obstacle but an ‘opportunity’. An opportunity to become stronger spiritually and an opportunity to grow stronger in our relationship with God through this process. 

Avoid sinking in the chaos of obstacles and stay above the waters by embracing the opportunities to be a better servant for the Lord. By believing that He has conquered the world. May God bless and keep you in his protection, love and grace as you journey in Jesus’ name.

Amen

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