Eyes Fixed on Jesus: Finding Courage and Help in the Person of Christ

…let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith… Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

The embodiment of love itself is Jesus.

You know, love: patient, kind, humble, full-of-truth, perseverant, hopeful love. That’s who Jesus is.

Any other direction in which we fix our gaze will leave us unsatisfied, because our souls were made for this love. We were made to bask in the glow of his mercy—and like tropical plants destined for Bahamian sun, allowing our souls to become entrapped by the arctic of this world will leave them withered and sad.

May we fix our eyes on Jesus!

Have you ever noticed how shame keeps people from looking others in the eyes? When people feel bad, condemned, guilty, or unloved, they often have a difficult time looking others in the eyes.

But we can look Jesus in the eyes. He gave everything—his very life—so that we could look him in the eyes. He died for our salvation. He saved us by his grace.

Grace means goodwill, loving-kindness, or favor. This means that he saved us because it pleased him to save us. Let’s take hold of that which he gave everything to give us: let’s lock eyes with him and step into the life he calls us to live.

We see the Lord’s propensity to save, and to call us out in faith as we look to him, illustrated well in the book of Matthew.

Take a moment to peek at Matthew 14:22-33 if you’re able. (It’s the one where Jesus walks on water, and where his disciple, courageous but faltering, does the same.)

This snippet of Scripture begins with the followers of Jesus boating across the lake, and they are (as they so often seem to be) caught up in rough waters.

Here’s how it’s described in the NIV version of the Bible: their boat was “buffeted by waves because the wind was against it”. There was stormy resistance for the disciples as they made their journey.

Do you ever get a sense of stormy resistance in your own journey?

Walking on the water, Jesus passed their boat. The disciples were terrified, thinking he was a ghost!

Without any hint of condemnation for their misunderstanding, Jesus let them know that it was him; he was present. They didn’t need to be afraid. Jesus spoke courage over them:

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Matthew 14:27 NIV

Receiving these words, Peter appears to have found himself feeling quite courageous, because the next occurrence the Bible reports is Peter wanting to follow Jesus onto the water. After seeking verification that it truly is Jesus speaking to him, Peter follows Christ’s beckoning and takes his first few steps into the miraculous.

He walks onto the water directly towards Jesus. What a moment that must have been for Peter—feeling the cold, wet water beneath his feet, probably filled with feelings of “Is this actually happening right now?!”

It was his audacity and reckless faith that caused Peter to step out of the boat, and here he was, experiencing a miracle because of it.

In this surreal moment, I imagine Peter’s gaze fixed firmly on Jesus with bold faith was ruling at the the forefront of his life.

Suddenly, as if Peter looks around and remembers where exactly he is, he begins sinking. The Bible describes it this way:

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30 NIV

And do you know how quickly Jesus helped Peter? He immediately reached out his hand and pulled Peter up. This doesn’t need to surprise us: saving the one who cries out is core to the person of Jesus.

We see this attribute lavishly poured out across the Old Testament, as God (who is one with Christ) offers saving help again-and-again to his people. I love Psalm 107 for it’s ability to capture this attribute of God quite well, as we observe God continually save:

“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. Psalm 107:6 NLT

Crying out and receiving God’s salvation is repeatedly occurs in the Old Testament, it’s what we see happen here with Peter in the New Testament, and it’s what we have the opportunity to experience each and every day.

May we choose to cry, “Lord, help!” in the variety of our life’s storms and experience the rescuing hand of Jesus. To his good and well-fitting praise!

Offering saving help is who Jesus is. Of course, Jesus didn’t want Peter to doubt; Jesus desires each of us to walk in bold courage. That’s the invitation to us as children of God.

But when we falter, inevitably, may we know that we are met with his saving help.

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Matthew 14:31-32

Did you catch that last part? Peter and Jesus got back into the boat, and the wind died down. After this tumultuous adventure with Jesus, peace.

Jesus both has the ability to save us in our own rocky waters, building our faith, and to calm the storms in our lives completely.

I can imagine that Peter walked away from these moments with a strengthened ability to keep his eyes faithfully fixed on Jesus, to move forward in courage, and to trust Christ’s saving hand.

Peter witnessed the miraculous being accomplished in his very own body and circumstances. How amazing that must have been!

He also experienced a blessed calm after getting back into the boat.

The goodness of Jesus towards us is varied and beautiful in its many forms.

So much good came from this experience which some could have just written off as a failed attempt to walk on water. (But oh no! This was a faith-growing, salvation-accomplishing, Jesus-glorifying, miracle-of-an-event!)

The faltering of Peter only proved to magnify the mercy of Jesus as he took bold and courageous steps according to Christ’s beckoning call.

He stepped out of the boat towards Jesus.

May we all receive the invitation of Christ to do just the same.

I don’t know what walking on water looks like for you in this season, but if you are blessed with the insight to sense a call from the Lord, may you take courage. May you put your blinders on to the world and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is good and faithful. And in moments of faltering, may you be quick to cry out and receive the generous, saving help of our sweet Lord.

Love and courage in Christ!

Annalisa

PS: I’d love to hear from you! Is there an area you’re being called to step out of the boat? Is there a way I can pray for you? If so, just hit “reply” to this email, and it would be my joy.