Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

January 23

Genesis 41-42

Psalm 14

Proverbs 3:11-12

Matthew 14:22-36

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

“Then Peter got 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!” Matthew 14:29-30 NIV

It is so easy to lose our focus. We can be in a place where we are walking with the Lord and things are going well. We step out in faith and are doing things that we never thought possible. Like Peter, we are walking on water. Then suddenly our attention is diverted. We take our eyes off Jesus and start to think about all those waves. The second that happens we start looking at the problems around us. When our eyes and our mind are focused on Jesus, our problems are still there. They haven’t disappeared, but they are in perspective. We are able to view them through His lenses and we see that He will help us face whatever comes our way. We are also able to see His hand at work in us and in our circumstances to accomplish His purposes. We may not enjoy the process, but we can know that He will work in all things to bring about good for us. Whatever happens he will use to grow us into the person He has intended us to be. When I am facing difficulty, especially when I don’t understand why or even what is going on, it is extremely comforting to know that there is a purpose. It is much easier to endure difficulties if I know that it is accomplishing something, even if I don’t know what it is. If I feel that my difficulties are random and have no purpose, it is much more difficult to persevere. When I am focused on Jesus and spending time in His presence my circumstances may not change, but my perspective will be radically different. The wind was still blowing and there were waves all around Peter as He walked to Jesus. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he had no trouble walking on the water, but as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves, he began to sink. As soon as we begin to focus on our problems, we begin to sink further into the depths of fear and worry. Our mind will race further and further down the path of what ifs and if only.

Fortunately, we only have to cry out, “Lord, save me,” and He will reach out His hand to pull us up. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2 (NASB1995) May we have our attention so fixed on Him that we cannot be distracted by anything.