Surviving the Toss

By Tracie Miles

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 (NIV)

Poor little earthworm. One minute he was squirming around in his grassy home, but when the storm hit, the strong rains tossed him out of his comfortable environment onto the hard, hot road. Have you ever noticed how many earthworms are scattered across roads after a storm? They never live long afterwards. Once the harsh sun beats down and they can’t find their way back to the moist soil, they’re done.

Poor little jellyfish. One minute she was floating in the warm ocean waters without a care in the world, but when a sudden storm hit, the crashing waves tossed her onto the dry sand. Have you ever noticed how many helpless jellyfish are lying on the beach after a storm, with no hope of getting back to the water?

Have you ever felt like that poor little earthworm or jellyfish? Life was going along just fine… then one phone call, one bad decision, one major storm in your life … and you get tossed into a situation where you struggle to keep yourself together. At times, storms rage into our lives without warning, and we can find ourselves sinking into despair. Yet unlike the earthworm or the jellyfish, we have hope for survival. We have a Savior who promises to be our life raft in even the worst of storms, but we have to choose to grab onto that raft and look straight into the eyes of Jesus.

Today’s verse is taken from the story where Peter amazingly walks on water. The disciples’ boat was being tossed about by huge waves in the ocean. Feeling certain that death was imminent, they were unaware of Jesus walking on water towards their boat. Although at first they thought He was a ghost, they were greatly relieved when they realized it was Jesus. In fact, Peter was so amazed, he said, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water,” so Jesus invited him to step out into the sea. (Matthew 14:28-29). But we learn in verses 29-30, Peter took his eyes off Jesus. It says, “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!"

Notice Peter did not begin to sink until he took his eyes off Jesus and began focusing on the wind and waves around him. In the same way, when we take our eyes off Jesus during our storms, and doubt His power in our life, we begin to sink as well. We can feel as if we are drowning in our problems, unable to get back onto safe ground. However when we cry out to Jesus, as Peter did, He will catch us by the hand and raise us back up. It is also important to notice that Peter started out with the best intentions when He called to Jesus. It took great faith for him to believe a human could walk on water, however, his great faith faltered when doubt and fear entered his mind. But even in fear, Peter cried out to Jesus. He still knew He was the only one who could help him, and Jesus saved Him.

Maybe you feel as if you have been tossed about by a storm today, and if you do, cry out to Jesus. He will hear you. He will calm your fears. He will raise you up. He wants you to be aware of His presence, even if you do not recognize Him at first.

After Jesus saved Peter from sinking into the water, they got back into the boat and the storm ceased. Although the storms of our life may not cease immediately when we cry out to Jesus, we can have faith knowing He is there to rescue us. And that gives us the strength and courage to survive the toss.

Dear Lord, thank You for always being there for me. Help me to be aware of Your presence during my storms. Forgive me for my doubts and lack of faith and help me to learn to trust in You fully. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?

Today’s P31 Radio Show

P31 Woman magazine

Visit Tracie Miles’ blog

Application Steps:
Ask God to make His presence known during your storms in ways that you will recognize Him at work.

Make a commitment to trust God despite your doubts and fears.

Reflections:
Is my faith strong during easy times, but weak during difficult times due to doubt and fear?

Am I truly willing to trust in Jesus during challenging circumstances?

Power Verses:
Jeremiah 17:7, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”

© 2008 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.

Answer Envy

By Karen Ehman

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

“How wonderful!!!” I exclaimed! “I am so happy for you!” This was my response to the breaking news that friends of ours from North Carolina had sold their house after it had been on the market for twenty days.

To them it had been a long twenty days. Houses are normally snatched up quickly in their neck of the woods. In our shaky Michigan economy, however, it takes a bit longer. In fact, on the day she announced that her home now sported a sold sign, we turned another page on our calendar marking how long our house had been for sale. Not twenty days, but twenty months to be exact. Although I was genuinely thrilled for her, I was also a tad green with jealousy.

I refer to it as answer envy. It is that “poor me” mentality that creeps into my heart when God answers someone else’s prayers more quickly than mine. Or when He responds with a “yes” when my answer seems to be a “no” or at least a “not right now.” I’ve had my fair share of answer envy outbreaks over the years and at all stages of life.

As a child, I was envious of the kids who came from two-parent homes while I resided in a family torn apart by divorce. No matter how hard I folded my little hands and prayed to God, He just didn’t make my daddy come back to us.

In high school, it was other girls’ good looks, cute clothes or even cute boyfriends that I longed for. Instead, I was granted average looks and donned department store blue-light-special fashions. And, as sports editor of our school paper, although I was every guy’s pal, I was usually nobody’s gal.

In college, I envied those whose prayers for a night in shining armor, complete with sparkly diamond ring, were answered while I remained single. Once married, I struggled with miscarriage and dashed dreams of motherhood. So, for five long years, I slapped a smile on my face to mask my broken heart and attended yet another pale pink or baby blue church shower.

Over the years I have discovered that the cure for answer envy is not always easy because I must play an active role in my own healing. What I need is a shift in perspective. When I “call to God” as encouraged in today’s verse, I must trust that He will keep His word. He will tell me “great and unsearchable things” that I do not know. Sometimes those things are the answers to my request. However, do you know what those great and unsearchable things more often are? They are the reasons He seems not to be answering my original request!

So, instead of only begging God to “sell my house” or “take away my pain” or “fix my kid,” I need also to ask myself some questions. Questions like, “What is my Creator trying to teach me that I might never learn if He were to suddenly pluck me out of this situation?” Or, “What character qualities is He trying to grow in me? Patience, trust, compassion, contentment?”

Not available in quick microwave form, the cure for answer envy must be cultivated moment by moment. We must believe that God will answer. He will clearly say “yes”, “no”, or “not right now.” He is able, ready and willing to answer our prayers—here is the catch—as He sees fit and to grow us to be more like His Son in the process.

So, our “for sale” sign has remained and I continue my stay in God’s waiting room. However, I now know this to be true: I must not merely seek the answer to my prayer. Instead, I must seek a deeper relationship with the answer Giver.

Dear Lord, as I bring my requests before You, please help me be mindful of what You are doing in my heart while I walk through life and its storms. As I wait for Your answers, make me more like your Son. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?

Visit Karen Ehman’s blog

A Life that Says Welcome by Karen Ehman

Application Steps:
Recall a prayer request or two from your past where God seemed not to be answering. What else did you learn about Him as you waited for His reply?

List any personal prayer requests you currently have on a piece of paper or in a journal. As you continue walking through life in the next few months, next to your requests, chronicle all of the peripheral blessings that come from the waiting.

Reflections:
What category do your prayers to God fall into most often—help me, show me, rescue me or change me?

Power Verses:
Psalm 38:15, “I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.” (NIV)

Romans 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (NIV)

© 2008 by Karen Ehman. All rights reserved.