Are You Focused or Distracted?

Matthew 14:22-33 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

(KJV)

A very familiar story from the New Testament; a story that is shared for its teaching moments; a story that is easily applied in today’s culture and society. As Mike was reading this scripture in preparation for his message, certain words stood out to me:

Verse 24: The ship was ...tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. Sounds like one of our summer afternoon thunderstorms, but look at these meanings. Here “tossed” means pain, toil, torment. “Contrary” means opposite, antagonistic, against. The wind was providing a distraction for the disciples and a scary one at that! They were not thinking about Jesus right now; only how to survive! Where did that fear come from?

Nevertheless he had to “come down” from the inside of the boat, or from his

comfort level, so he had to humble himself and “come down” before Jesus.

Verse 30: Peter demonstrated his rock solid faith by confidently walking on the sea water while he kept his eyes on Jesus. But then there was a distraction - the wind became boisterous, and he became afraid. He took his eyes off of Jesus, and he began to sink and cried out for help.

Verse 31: As soon as Peter cried “Help”, Jesus immediately reached out to catch Peter. Jesus is always with us; always lending a hand; always encouraging us.

I thought about Adam and Eve. Eve was distracted and persuaded against God by Satan. She ate the lie that he told her, and Adam did the same. Their eyes were being turned away from God. At that instant, they also began to sink into sin. They took their eyes off of God and began to sink away from the Garden and away from God.

Haven’t we all been through this ourselves? We have taken our eyes away from Jesus, and we all know those various reasons why. There are many lessons here, but let’s believe first that we have the boldness and perseverance to get out of the boat - to come down out of the boat and bow at the feet of Jesus. That is a BIG step, but at the same time, we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus. There will be so many other distractions - weather, family, work, relationships, etc. because the enemy will not rest.

Sarah Young described this very well in Jesus Calling: Turn Toward Me, (2019):

“Just as a spinning ballerina must keep returning her eyes to a given point to maintain her balance, so you must keep returning your focus to Me (Jesus). Circumstances are in flux, and the world seems to be whirling around you. The only way to keep your balance is to fix your eyes on Me, the One who never changes. If you gaze too long at your circumstances, you will become dizzy and confused. Look to Me, refreshing yourself in My Presence, and your steps will be steady and sure.”

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus.

Thanks for stopping by,

Rachel