The Wind Was Boisterous

The Wind Was Boisterous

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Matthew 14:29-30

The fact that we draw near to Christ does not guarantee that our outward circumstances will improve. As we have considered this account thus far, we have seen that Christ intentionally sent the disciples into the boat and out upon the Sea of Galilee, knowing that they would encounter the storm, and be terrified. He had come to them, ‘walking on the sea,’ in the midst of these fearful, turbulent circumstances. Peter had responded to Christ, and requested to draw near to Him. With Christ’s approval, Peter got out of the boat.  While we may dwell upon the fact that Peter was experiencing the power of Christ in his life, in a totally unique way, we should also consider the fact that the circumstances around Peter had not changed. Now, not only was the storm still raging, but he was out of the boat, and ‘the wind was boisterous.’ Perhaps we think, as we draw near to Christ, our circumstances will change. They may not change; in fact, in human terms, they may worsen. Drawing near to Christ, may take us ‘out of the boat.’ It is not the circumstances that are important. It is the Presence of Christ that is important. If we expect that drawing near to Christ will change our outward situation, we may be deeply disappointed. Christ is greater than our circumstances. He is still with us, even when the wind is boisterous.

Sovereign Lord of all,
we rejoice that You are in control of all our affairs.
We praise You that even though our
outward circumstances may not change,
You remain the same and
will be with us no matter what they are.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning