Quit Looking At The Waves

In Matthew's recounting of the story of Jesus walking on the water to reach his disciples who were struggling in the midst of a storm, Peter starts off quite well.  When the men at last recognized Jesus, "hair-trigger" Peter asked the Lord to invite him for a walk on the water, and the Lord did so.  It must have been a bit tricky even getting out of the boat, which would have been rocking to and fro, but when he did, he found himself supported by some supernatural surface tension, like a mosquito in a bucket of water.  If you think about it, he may have felt more sturdy standing on the water than he did in the boat.  Surely he was still aware of the wind and waves - he hadn't forgotten those - but for a moment the force of his attention was on Jesus.  As he made his way toward Jesus, all was well...until he started looking around. When he took a good look at the wind and waves, in a sense switching his faith from Christ to them, he started to sink.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones brings the point home in Spiritual Depression:

The first thing we learn here is that we ourselves sometimes produce our own doubts.  None can dispute but that that was the trouble with Peter at this point.  He produced his own doubts by looking at the waves.  He led himself into difficulties which need not have arisen...Peter by looking at the waves himself produced the doubts.  Let us be very careful here.  We often lead ourselves into depression, we lead ourselves in doubts by dabbling with certain things which should be avoided.

  Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we must take care that we don't give our windy, wavy circumstances and pressures too much attention.  Of course they're overwhelming, but putting our faith in them is always, and only, a downer.  Let's keep our focus on the sure and certain person of Jesus Christ, and His hand that is always ready to reach out and pull us up.