A Little Light for the Way

A reflection for the journey of faith — sometimes we all need a little light for the way.

Matthew 14:22–33

The Grip of Grace

There was a season of my life when I spent many Sunday afternoons on a sailboat.

My parents had a close friend who did a lot of sailing on a lake not far from our home, and after enough afternoons on the water, my husband and I eventually bought a small sailboat ourselves. Later, when our family grew, so did the boat.

Sailing taught me something I hadn’t expected.

Unlike a speedboat, you can’t simply point a sailboat where you want to go and press the throttle. You have to learn the wind. You adjust the sails. You pay attention to currents. And one of the first lessons every sailor learns is this:

Find a focal point.

Choose something on the shoreline—a tree, a dock, a lighthouse—and keep your eyes fixed on it. Without that point of reference, it’s surprisingly easy to drift off course without even realizing it.

I’ve often thought about that lesson when I read Matthew’s story of Jesus walking on the water.

The disciples are already in the middle of the lake when a storm blows in. Jesus has stayed behind to pray. Then, sometime before dawn, they see someone walking toward them across the waves.

Naturally, they’re terrified.

“It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus speaks immediately.

“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter, being Peter, blurts out,

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

And Jesus answers with one simple word.

“Come.”

Eyes on Jesus

Peter climbs out of the boat.

For a few remarkable moments, he actually walks on the water.

Can you imagine it?

His eyes are fixed on Jesus.

Step by step.

Wave by wave.

Impossible becomes possible.

But then Matthew quietly tells us,

“When he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened.”

Peter’s focus shifts.

Instead of looking at Jesus, he looks at the storm.

And he begins to sink.

I’ve heard this story preached many times over the years with the lesson, “Keep your eyes on Jesus.”

That’s good advice.

But if we’re honest, most of us already know that.

The problem isn’t that we don’t want to trust Christ.

The problem is that storms have a way of demanding our attention.

We all know what storms look like

Sometimes the storm arrives with a phone call from the doctor’s office.

Sometimes it’s the loss of a job.

A relationship that falls apart.

A diagnosis.

An empty chair at the dinner table.

A child you’re worried about.

Anxiety that keeps you awake at two in the morning.

The winds howl.

The waves rise.

And before we realize what’s happening, we’re staring at the storm instead of the One who walks through it.

If this story ended there, it would be discouraging.

The lesson would simply be:

“Try harder.”

“Have stronger faith.”

“Don’t get distracted.”

But thank God that’s not where Matthew ends the story.

Jesus never looked away

Matthew writes,

“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.”

Immediately.

Before Peter could save himself.

Before he could climb back into the boat.

Before he could prove his faith.

Jesus reached out.

I’ve come to believe that’s the real miracle of this story.

Not that Peter walked on water.

But that Jesus never stopped watching Peter.

Peter lost sight of Jesus.

Jesus never lost sight of Peter.

That’s the Gospel.

Our faith will waver.

We’ll have days when trusting God comes naturally and days when fear seems much louder than hope.

We’ll all have moments when the wind captures our attention.

But our salvation has never depended on our ability to hold tightly to Christ.

It depends on Christ holding tightly to us.

Grace has the stronger grip

As I’ve grown older, I’ve become less interested in pretending I have unwavering faith.

Life has a way of humbling us.

Instead, I’ve become deeply grateful for something even better:

Jesus’ faithfulness doesn’t rise and fall with mine.

His love isn’t dependent on my ability to stay focused every moment of every day.

When I lose my footing, Christ doesn’t stand at a distance waiting for me to figure it out.

He reaches out.

Immediately.

That’s grace.

Perhaps that’s why I still think about those afternoons sailing on Clear Lake.

Finding a focal point mattered.

It helped keep us headed in the right direction.

But if I’m honest, there were days when I drifted.

Days when the wind changed unexpectedly.

Days when I needed someone more experienced to help me find my way again.

Life with Christ is something like that.

We do our best to keep our eyes on him.

But when we inevitably look away, the good news is this:

Jesus has never stopped looking at us.

Whatever storm you are facing today, remember this:

The One who called Peter out of the boat is the same One who reaches out his hand to you.

And his grip is stronger than your fear.