Reach Towards Jesus

"But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.'"

~Matthew 14:27

So many times when life is hard, I'm waiting for the next shoe to drop. I'm waiting for the train to hit me. I become frustrated and scared and hopeless. Jesus' disciples probably felt like that way in this story. It was late. The seas were windy. And now they thought there was a ghost. They weren't looking for Jesus to come out to them, even though Jesus had just miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes.

All too often, when things are hard, I sit in my puddle and cry. I squat down in the middle of the railroad tracks (speaking metaphorically, here). I'm not watching or waiting or looking for God to work. That's wrong.

God is my Savior (Luke 2:11), my Defender (Psalm 68:5), my Wonderful Counselor (Isa 9:6), my Helper (John 14:16). He's on my side (Rom 8:31), so I should be watching and waiting for Him, always, but especially when life is hard. Jesus is the only one who can give me courage that lasts. He's the only one who can make a way where there seems to be no way. He's the only one who can truly quiet my fears. He's the only one who can really solve my problems in an eternal sense. But if I'm going to see His way, I've got to look towards Him. I've got to tune my ears towards His voice. I've got to remember what He's done in the past and look towards what He wants me to do in the future. That's the only way I can walk out on the stormy seas of life. That's the way I reach towards Jesus.