Peter's Predicament

Shauna: I'm Shauna, with Joni Eareckson Tada sharing hope. Thank you for joining us. Joni, I was recently reading in the Gospel of Matthew and came across the familiar story about Peter walking on the water. It's amazing to picture, but Matthew 14:29-31 clearly describes the scene. It says, "Then Peter got down 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!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." And Joni, I've heard you talk about how much this passage means to you personally.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Oh, it really does, Shauna.
Shauna: Would you share a little bit about it right now with our listeners?
Joni Eareckson Tada: Well, I do love the passage for so many reasons. For one thing, it includes probably the shortest prayer in the whole Bible: "Lord, save me!" Often I am so overwhelmed by pain. I get so tired of all my disability routines that hardly ever vary. I'm so weary I can only lift my head in prayer, "Lord, save me!" And I can tell, I can feel when I am voicing that prayer in faith. You know what I mean, right?
Shauna: Yes, Joni.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Believing that it's sincere and that God will hear me.
Shauna: I agree wholeheartedly. It's not how many words are in your prayer; it's if you're asking in faith. And I've done that in my own hardships. But Joni, I know there are other things that you've picked out of the story of Peter walking on the water.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Well, Peter was doing just fine until a strong wind distracted him. It was enough to take his eyes off Jesus, and in a panic, he looked down at his fearsome situation. He was probably terrified to see his feet standing on a wave, and so he started to sink. And then he cried out, "Lord, save me!" It's a lesson, isn't it? Don't focus on your situation; focus on Jesus. And here's a great illustration of what I'm talking about. My friend Dan is a race car driver. The last time we met, he told me about a terrible accident in which a NASCAR legend was killed. The driver's car had been in first place, then it was slightly bumped, the driver overcorrected, and then, in an instant, he crashed into the wall. I asked Dan if that kind of thing happens often on the racing circuit, and he told me, "Oh, yes. A car gets into a spin, gets bumped, and the driver sees that wall coming. And there's one thing that they're supposed to be trained to do: they must not look at that wall. For the training tells them to keep their eyes on the track and steer out of that spin." If they look at the wall, they'll freeze. Your body just reacts; you can't help it. The answer is to concentrate every nerve on steering toward that open space. I share this story, and I think it is the Apostle Peter's story, too. I offer it up because whenever I experience an unusual amount of pain, I feel like I'm looking at the wall. It feels like it's not going to get easier, Joni. Old age is coming faster than you realize, and you better brace for an impact. With that fear, I freeze up. I start worrying about my age and the future and its problems, rather than enjoying the present and its opportunities. The answer is to do what Peter did. I fix my eyes back on Jesus and I cry out, "Lord, save me!"
Shauna: Oh, Joni, I think we all struggle with staring at our problems, at our wall. And we need to get our focus back on the only one who can save us.
Joni Eareckson Tada: That's right.
Shauna: And Joni, those are hope-filled words for race car drivers and the rest of us.