I typically bounce around between favorite Bible passages, but I always end up coming back to this one:
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. Matthew 6:33 NASB
It may sound completely ridiculous in its simplicity, but I really do think we’re to just keep our eyes on Jesus. Take a look at the story of when Peter chose to get out of the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee… in the middle of a storm (Matthew 14:22-32)! He didn’t do it to test his faith. He did it because Jesus called him out of the boat. And he was successful while he kept his focus on Jesus. As soon as he turned his attention to the roaring waves and the high winds, he started to sink.
Notice that he turned his attention to everything around him, the high winds and the waves that would certainly drown him, and then he started to sink. It’s when he’s sinking that he calls out to Jesus for help. I’ve been there… sinking and calling to Jesus to help me.
Taking a look in Psalm 91, we’re told that whoever makes the Lord their dwelling place – whoever lives in the shelter of God – will experience His faithfulness being their shield and protection (Psalm 91:1-4). Get that? His faithfulness… not yours, not mine.
It’s tough to not get discouraged when things are needing a touch from God, but it seems His hands are not reaching out to pull us up out of the water. Even typing that out feels wrong. But I bet you’ve thought it – even fleetingly. But even though God is the very definition of faithful, we often attribute our problems to God. Why, God? Why did You let this happen? Maybe we start looking inwardly. What did I do? What did I not do? I must have messed up somewhere… Or we might even blame others.
But none of those thoughts line up with the good news of Jesus Christ. As believers, we have been redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13-14). It’s not about what we do, but entirely about what He already did. It’s not about our righteousness, but about His. Scripture tells us that no one is righteous apart from Jesus – not one (Psalm 14:1-3, Romans 3:23)! But through Jesus’ sacrifice, we have been made perfect in our standing before God, the Father (Hebrews 10:14).
With the notion that we simply need to keep our eyes on Jesus, we can really get lost in the weeds of grace versus law. We get caught up debating faith without works being dead (James 2:14-26), but we’re saved by grace through faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8-9)… which is it? Am I able to prove myself through my good deeds or are all my good deeds like menstruating rags (Isaiah 64:6 – so gross!).
It sounds too easy to say that all we need is to keep our eyes on God. Is it? Have you tried to simply put all your focus on God? What about when you check your account balance and wonder how you’re going to pay your bills? What about when one of your kiddos is sick and it stretches on for days with no real improvement? What about when you have a loved one with a terminal illness? What about when the car dies… again… and you’re not sure how you’re going to pay for it?
Do you ever Google your symptoms when you’re not feeling well? Do you ever swipe your credit card when you don’t have enough money to cover your monthly bills? Ever watch the news and feel a touch of anxiety? Or maybe you’re overwhelmed with how to feed your family when so much of our food is laden with ingredients you can’t pronounce and are being linked to deadly diseases.
I’m not proud of it, but I’m guilty of all of those. But what does that say about my faith? Did I take even a single step atop the water, or did I immediately start sinking when I got out of the boat?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 KJV
I was recently stopped in my tracks while reading a devotional. It was talking about hope. I use this word quite a lot… I hope that we’ll find a house near the family… I hope that my blog leads people to a relationship with Jesus… I hope that my kiddos don’t need too much therapy after leaving home… I hope work will continue to line up for my husband… I hope.
Ever notice that when we say that we’re hoping for something to happen, there’s a bit of doubt laced in? We hope for something, but we’re not really confident that it will happen. It could really go either way. Faith is the substance of things hoped for… what does that mean?
That word, substance, is translated from the Greek word hypóstasis (G5287). In some Bible translations, it is replaced with assurance, reality, certainty, or the fundamental fact of existence. The Greek word hypóstasis means all of those plus confidence, being sure, and foundation.
Faith is the reality… Faith is the certainty… Faith is the assurance… Faith is the fundamental fact of existence… of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I’m not sure about you, but I never saw the Red Sea part (Exodus 14), I didn’t see the walls of Jericho fall (Joshua 6), I wasn’t there to witness the three amigos walking around inside a fiery furnace with a fourth man (Daniel 3), I didn’t taste the wine that was once plain water (John 2), I didn’t see Jesus heal the man with leprosy (Mark 1:40), I wasn’t there to watch Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:11-50), and I didn’t see Jesus come back to life (Matthew 28:1-10).
If we can have faith – a deeply rooted trust in God – with all of those things, why do we hesitate to hope – having a joyful expectation for good no matter the circumstances – for all that God has promised us in His Word? While faith and hope are not the same, they are very much in cahoots.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV
Which promise can God be trusted to keep? His promise that we’ll live forever with Him in Heaven (John 14:2-3)? That we’re co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)? That we’re above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, that we’re blessed as we go in and blessed as we go out, and that all of the work we put our hands to will be blessed (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)? That we’re no longer under the curse of the law, but rather we’re blessed as Abraham was blessed (Galatians 3:1-14)?
Which one of those promises are we to trust He’ll keep?
Notice that in Hebrews 10:23 it is yet again His faithfulness that we can depend on. Just like in Psalm 91, it all depends on His faithfulness. All the many times that I fail, God will still keep His promises. All of the times that I call out to Him as I’m sinking, He’s right there with His hand reaching for me. He is faithful.
And because He is faithful, I have hope – that joyful expectation for good things no matter what the circumstances. Because He is faithful, I can trust that keeping my eyes on Jesus, I won’t just walk on water… I might dance on the waves.