Today (after midnight) is one of those days when I have a little time before I sleep to actually think (almost worry) about where the ship of my life is being steered. Don’t be fooled, i’m also human. I get to wonder at times if the future will be as good as I desire it to be, but the difference with me, is that I catch myself quickly and conciously decide to think of the things that I know I should rather be thinking of. The things that are true, lovely, pure, just, praise worthy e.t.c.
I remembered a story in the Bible this morning. Jesus needed to spend some time alone, and asked his disciples to go ahead in the ship. He stayed behind to pray, and when he was through decided to go join the disciples. Seeing they had gone far into the sea, he decides to take a stroll on the sea waves (wow…I wish I could do that). The disciples were having a really rough time, and to compound things, they saw a ghost bouncing on the waves of the sea. They were terrified! Jesus decided to calm their nerves, he announced to them, “Take courage,It is I, don’t be afraid”. Wow, they saw the master himself, riding on the waves of the sea. I’m certain it’s a site worth going back to the past to see, but that’s not quite the cornerpiece of our analogy tonight. Peter did something really strange in this story, he beckons on Jesus to give him permission to come over to meet him. He also wanted to experience the supernatural, he wanted to walk on the waves of the sea. He wanted something a bit more than the everyday walk. Well, I don’t know if it shocked you, but it shocked me, Jesus asked him to come! Have you ever had a little baby girl stand in front of you demanding to share in the food you are eating? The food is a few degrees below boiling point, and even you are struggling to down it. Surely, the answer is no! Not because you don’t love her, not because she is not hungry, but because you know where that experience will lead. To be in a hurry to eat hot food, is to stand the risk of the mouth being burnt, and to use the burnt mouth to eat cold food. But Jesus asked him to come, that meant it was a task that had no negative consequence, it was something he would do, if he had the faith to ask. All the others did not ask, so they were not qualified.
Peter actually took his first step, eyes all fixed on Jesus, the one that bid him come! He took his second step, third, and maybe more. He probably would have made it to Jesus…but something happened. He momentarily took his eyes off his source of confidence and took a fresh look at the present realities. He worried. The winds blew, the waves lifted, his eyes shifted. Isn’t this usually the pattern? Here you are, doing something you believe you ought to do, following your passions, living your dreams. Here you are hearkening to instruction you believe you heard, and out of the blues, the naked cold statistics of reality steers you in the face. The wind blows, the waves lift and your eyes shift.
Peter’s eyes shifted, he lost his concentration. He took his eyes from that which absolved him of temporary realities. As soon as he did, he began to sink! I remember when i spoke to my mentor about my desires to go into business fully. I remember what he told me. He said, “I think you are ready, but know this one thing ahead, it’s going to be by your choosing to go that way, nothing around may collaborate it, but make up your mind to stick with your decision, at the end you’ll be glad you did”. That’s like saying reality usually does not confirm bold decisions. He that gazes on the waves will sink. How often do we start something new – a job, a business, a project, a family, a relationship, with so much excitement, only to get inside of it to be stunned with reality. How often have we had occassions that shifted our gaze from what we chose to emulate? You are not alone! Don’t take your gaze off your source of faith, don’t loose focus. But if you do?
Peter called for help! How many times do we run from help because we don’t want to hear the phrase, “I told you so”? If you’ve found yourself in this sequence, ask for help. It’s not macho to suffer in silence, it’s stupid. You and I would probably have told him, it’s all his fault, but Jesus was there to the rescue. Things are never so bad, and unredeemable until we feel too much of a biggie to ask for help. Learn to learn quickly from your mistakes and plot a course to the top. Help will always be available when you need it.
Food for thought
If Peter did not ask to walk on water he never would have- Nothing ventured nothing gained!
If Peter had kept his eye on Jesus he never would have sank – Either fix your gaze, or catch yourself back quickly!
If Jesus didn’t want Peter to walk on water, he would have told him to wait – God’s plans for our lives sometimes involve moving with courage and hope.
The winds are bound to come, and reality usually will not immediately corroborate aspirations. Be ready for it. The war that is foretold shouldn’t kill a wise cripple.
When you are loosing your grip and about to sink, don’t act macho, cry out for help!
If this really added value to your life, share it with your friends…
29 thoughts on “When the winds come”
THANKS FOR THIS AGAIN
MAY GOD BLESS U
ALWAYS.
KEEP UR DREAMS , THEY ARE THE WAY UPWARD
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BYE FOR NOW
Dear Sir,
Once again, God bless you.
What a timeless message, even though the article date shows May 2006, some of us are facing this situation at this present time, i have gained more courage reading this today, thanks Deolu for sending this accross at this time.
Thank you for throwing this anchor my way… Im sure that I need this today and in the days ahead…
Nice one chairman. Thanks.
Oga D, i beg u re making to start praying for ur ministry. When will the church programme or fellowship begin? Hope u re not laughing, just try and answer me and i will be grateful. This is a very nice piece.
Thanks cos i am putting this on my facebook.
A timely reminder, sometimes we loose focus on God and start to sink. However if we call to him, He always answers. thank you Sir
Simply Beautiful!
Keeping ones eyes on the goal builds confidence where all around lies distractions and discouragement.
This is a great piece for the week.
Thanks
A timely word for the season. I heard Mike Murdoch say recently that: the most important thing on earth is a question as question introduces you to answers and the quality of your questions will determine the quality of your life!, though this post was written years ago, but the questions and answers you gave yourself has brought you thus far!This is just the beginning because as you evaluate and ask yourself and others those questions and follow through with all the useful downloads/rev on this post, things my dear brother can only get better!See you at the top!
http://www.bridgetelesinspeaks.blogspot.com
Thanks a million for this timely piece. This post is indeed an anchor in my present realities. again thanks oree. see you soon.
Kunle Ogunbayo
we can not do without storms once in a while, the difference between a loser and winner is hanging on when there seem to be no way forward. Everyone needs a dose of courage and help to stay on.
thanks for the analogy.
It is coming at the right time for me.
May God continue to increase you on every side.
Thanx brother,
I think pride contributes a greater percentage to why people don’t want to call for help. The truth is that as humans we are limited… but we can always tap into the limitless power of divinity when we’re at wits’ end. May God help us to humble ourselves- He abases the proudy but gives MORE GRACE to the humble
It is well.
Quite elucidatory. I wish to contribute a perspective also: I think that one additional lesson we can learn is that for every ambition we have we must have God’s word backing it up. It is not normal to walk on water, but it becomes SUPRAnatural to walk on water when you have a Word that says come. Peter understood this and did not make an attempt to walk on water until he got a word from Christ.
I do think that Peter actually walked on God’s word and not on water; he began to seek when he started focusing on the water instead on the word he received.
Still talking about winds, Jesus gave a parable about a wise man and a foolish man. He said both of them built houses; one built on the rock while the other built on sand. When the wind blew, the foolish man’s house collapsed while the wise man’s house remained. The wind did not come to destroy the houses but to test their foundations.
Jesus concluded with a definition of a wise man: one who hears the word of God and heeds it.
To survive this age you will need access to the Word of God. Remember that even God upholds all things by the word of his power (or his powerful word)
@ Opeyemi,
Good stuff. Yeah, we need backing for any move we want to make. And it’s true for life, relationship, career or business, than in the face of disagreeing situations, that word is our sure anchor.
Chairman i want to ride on the wave too, ask me to come.Let us keep our focus on him no matter what.It is well
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,despising the shame,and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Thank you Deolu for this. Let me add this:to walk on water was not Peter’s need but desire. It proves this point that our desire can be satisfied with God.
I am blessed.
Water represents any platform between us and destiny. Destiny says come…i respond “on my way”.
good post deolu. thanks.
well, let me say that we should know that fixing ur eyes on jesus in the time of storms is simply fixing ur eyes on the word. that is to say that the word spoken particularly to you before u ventured out on a particular issue of life.
every word we claim to hear will be tested. it must be tested. hey! relax! u are meant to come out like gold. it may not be so easy keeping a focus on the word alone in the difficult times, that is why good, like-minded association is crucial to us in the stormy seasons of life. they help us focus.
anyway, projects, families, businesses, e.t.c must all be started inspite of whatsoever comes so before u go forward, settle down first and count the cost, then still move ahead. thanks
Wow! You really got me with this one. The message is specifically for me and I appreciate your passing it across to me. I decided to stsrt out on internet marketing since last year but I’ve been doubting and giving myself silly excuses with finance. By God’s grace I’m turning a new leaf today and giving it all I’ve got even as I put my focus on my God who has bid me to come in this line.
Thank you sir, you are a blessing in alot of ways. God bless you.
Good as always, FOCUS like someone defined it, is partial blindness, it is like looking at an object through a key hole, u need to close one eye, stay still as to have a full concentration, then the object wold be visible! keep it up Bro! God with Us!
These are TIMELESS words, will be relevant in a thousand years to come. I think its time to cry LORD BID ME COME!!! and never to lose focus when we get that word. Thanks D.
Oyinsi,
You know, I am one of the people who beleive that what you’re doing here is actually a ministry. Whichever way you see it, God uses us each week to spell HIS MIND to some of us who need to get the conceptualised gospel this way. Daalu o
Bishop Deolu Akinyemi.
Great post
More of God’s grace for you,sir. God help us to really focus.
action and reaction are equal and opposite. most times we do not need to fear attempting anything, that is if we are certain about our source. Peter was wise enough to have asked for help when he needed it unlike many of us that have chosen to die in silence by refusing to cry out. we are in for life changing realities.
When a man looses his focus he is bound to crash land. a lot of us today have lost direction of where we are headed because we have felt self sufficient enough and have abandoned our sources. remember a yoruba proverb: “odo to ba gbagbe orisun re o ma gbe” i.e a river that forgets his source will run dry.
it is not natural to walk on water so peter justr in some minutes was transformed to the level of the supernatural but his humanity made him to doubt and we know the story. the most impoartant lesson from this story is to understand where you have fallen and to look for help from the one greater than you.
another nice one….this is lovely…thnx