Floating is good, sinking is bad. It’s that simple. When you are sinking, that means that you are in big trouble. That’s even true with your emotions. For example, did you ever get “that sinking feeling?” It’s not good, is it? We learn how to swim so that we can avoid sinking and drowning when we are in any body of water that has any depth to it and when we have that sinking feeling, we try to rise again to the surface so that we can emotionally “breathe.” Sinking is not good, and I want to talk to you today about how to avoid sinking…in life. We can learn from a story from the Bible about Jesus and Peter:

Matthew 14:28-32 (NIV) “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

This is the story about when Jesus walked on the water and while some think of this as a “fail” for Peter, I actually give him credit for being the only one that had the faith to step out of the boat. But I want to point out something to encourage your heart today. Peter was able to walk in the water for a little while and he was able to do it as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. As soon as he looked away from Jesus and looked at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. Eyes on Jesus = walking on the water. Eyes off Jesus = sinking in the water.

Do you see it? It is the same way in our life here on this earth. The ocean represents life and the wind and the waves represent life’s troubles, problems, struggles and pain. When you keep your eyes focused on Jesus, that is, when you have a real, personal relationship with Him, then you can walk on the wind and the waves of your life no matter what they may be. It's not really about the wind and the waves; it's about the power that Christ Jesus has to enable you to walk on the treacherous water that life can be sometimes.

If you are experiencing wind and waves in your life, then the same thing applies to you. When great trouble comes our way, we usually panic. We feel like we are sinking and don’t know what to do about it. Every time the sinking begins that means that we have taken our eyes off of Jesus.
Now there is something else about this story that is very important, and it’s found in the following verse:

Matthew 14:32 (NIV) And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

I always wondered why Jesus didn’t make the wind die down before Peter stepped out of the boat. After all, he had never walked on water before. He should have given him a break. But after he began to sink, and after Jesus saved him, and after they got into the boat, then the wind died down. I now know that this was purposeful. Jesus does things with purpose. He wanted Peter to walk on the water when it was turbulent so that He and the others would learn that when you have your eyes on Jesus, it doesn’t matter what the wind and the waves are doing. Peter did get to walk on the turbulent water and Jesus wasn’t surprised that he did. Peter walked on that water in the power of Jesus, not in his own power. Since he was relying on Jesus, Jesus had no doubt nor was he surprised that Peter could and would walk on the water. When Peter looked away, he began to sink. But there is a lesson in that as well. Peter immediately cried out for help and Jesus caught him before he went under. Oh, that we would do that in our lives! Oh, that we learn to cry out immediately to God when we get in trouble! Instead, many just continue to sink until they hit bottom.

Let’s learn from this story and learn from Peter and from his mistake. Have the faith like Peter did to dare to walk on the turbulent waters of your life because you can do it with the power of the Lord Jesus holding you up. Then if you momentarily get distracted or look away fro whatever reason, remember to quickly put your focus and attention back on Him. And if you begin to sink before you fix your eyes on Him again, cry out for help immediately like Peter did. If you do that, you will not experience going under. Jesus will lift you up. Put you trust in Him for your life and you will not sink but will walk victoriously through any situation or circumstance to the glory of God.

Pastor Joey Vazquez