Matthew 14: 22-26 (Tuesday, August 7, 2007)

Sometimes we ask the Lord, “Why do you let all these things happen to me?” We wonder why we have to go through challenging times even though we have strong belief in the Lord. We are never promised in the scriptures that once you believe in the Lord, you will no longer have difficult times in your life. What the scriptures however promise is that God is always present with you during those challenging and difficult times. God never abandons us. The most important thing is to keep your gaze on Jesus. That is what is going to help you through that difficult situation and save you. In the gospel, the moment Peter began to doubt, he started sinking. In the same way, the moment we take our gaze off Jesus during those challenging times, we begin to sink. We sink into sin, into doing things ordinarily we would not want to do; we sink into alcoholism, drugs, and lack of concern for our families.

The scripture today assures us that during those difficult times in our life, Jesus is stretching out his hand to catch us. All we need to do is to reach out and hold the hand of Jesus, that he would bring us safely into the boat.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, many times in our lives we have failed to reach out to hold your hand when things are rough. We have resorted to sinful things than holding on to you. Help us to go through the challenging moments of our lives and always keep our gaze on you.