How do we see Jesus when the storms of life hit?
In his book, Canoeing the Mountains, Todd Bolsinger tells the story of Steve Yamaguchi who is the dean of students at Fuller Theological Seminary. Steve once had a spiritual director who decided to take flying lessons. One day, he asked his flight instructor this question:
“Why do we use flight simulators so much?”
It’s a good question. I’ve never taken flying lessons but I know this is one of the primary ways that pilots train. They spend hours and hours in flight simulators.
When the flight instructor was asked why they use flight simulators so much, the instructor said this…
“In the moment of crisis, you will not rise to the occasion; you will default to your training.”
I think that’s something we need to think about.
We Default to our Training
In moments of crisis, we do not rise to the occasion, we default to our training.
If you’ve ever played on any kind of sports team, you know this is true.
This is why you spend hours and hours running countless drills. This is why coaches work over and over and over again on teaching fundamentals. Because they know in moments of crisis when the game is on the line, when the ball comes to you, you will not rise to the occasion. You will default to your training.
So you have to train over and over and over again to do things the right way so that in that moment of crisis you will default to your training. And if you’ve put in the time, if you spent countless hours on training your mind, your body, and your heart to do things a certain way, then in that moment of crisis when the game is on the line it will look like you rose to the occasion.
But the truth is you defaulted to your training. It was those countless hours of practice and training when no one else was looking that made the difference. And now, in this moment, when everyone is looking, what they’re really seeing is that you put in the work when no one was looking.
This happens in every area of our lives. We always default to our training.
This is why, and if you’re a parent you’ve probably experienced this… when something happens with your kids and you’re stressed out you find yourself saying to your kids the exact thing your parents said to you that you swore to yourself you would never say to your kids! Things like…
“Don’t make me pull this car over!”
Why did we say that? We’re not going to pull the car over!
It’s because… We do not rise to the occasion, we default to our training.
This happens in our marriages, our relationships, with the temptations we face, with the problems we encounter. In every area of life, it can be said…
We do not rise to the occasion, we default to our training.
Fear vs. Faith
So what happens for us is that even though we’re living as people of FAITH in one moment, when crisis hits, we default to FEAR.
Why?
Because we default to our training.
And we have trained ourselves to be afraid, to be very afraid, when things are outside our control and our ability to handle.
I think this is what happened for our friend Peter.
Do you remember this moment?
Last year I came across this image painted by Morgan Weistling and published in 2013 called, “Our Refuge and Strength.”
There was a time when Peter was so full of faith that he stepped out of a boat in the middle of the lake in the middle of a storm and literally walked on water to Jesus.
It was a FULL OF FAITH moment for Peter.
But then, when he saw the wind and the waves, he began to sink.
What is it like to be filled with incredible FAITH in one moment, and incredible FEAR in the next? Just ask Peter!
Keep your eyes on Jesus?
And it’s at this point in the story that you normally hear someone say that the reason Peter began to sink was because he took his eyes off of Jesus and put it on other things.
Back in October, when Alisha and I got a chance to travel to Israel, we got to sail in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.
[slideshowck id=3340]While we were on the boat someone got up and read this story and made exactly that point. That it was when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus that he began to sink. So we too have to keep our eyes on Jesus or we’ll begin to sink when the storms of life hit.
Later that night while we were still on the boat I asked Yo’el, our guide who is Jewish, lives in Israel, and is a follower of Jesus what he thought about that moment when Peter was walking on the water and began to sink.
I asked him, “Is that why Peter sank? Was it because he took his eyes off of Jesus?”
Yo’el said, “Maybe. But I think it has more to do with IDENTITY.”
“Identity? What do you mean?”
Moses & Identity
That’s when my friend Yo’el pointed me back to Moses. Moses also had some experience with God and with water. His name, Moses, even means, “drawn from the water.” (Exodus 2.10)
When Moses was born the Pharaoh in Egypt was trying to kill all the Hebrew boys, so his parents hid him in a basket in the river. When Pharaoh’s daughter found him, she took him in as her own and named him Moses. His name, his identity, from the beginning, was a literal reminder that God had preserved his life and lifted him from the water.
But that wasn’t the last time Moses had an interaction with God and with water.
In one of the most famous moments in all of history, Moses is leading the people of God out of Egypt. This is the Exodus. The central and most pivotal moment in Israel’s history.
How does God use Moses to deliver the people? They come to the Red Sea. There’s a raging river before them and the Egyptian army behind them. God tells Moses not to walk on the surface of the water, but to walk through the water on dry ground. (Exodus 14.22)
And that’s exactly what the people do.
How is Moses able to do this?
Because God is with him. Because through it all Moses was able to keep his face towards God.
In fact, Moses became known as someone, his identity aws someone, who “spoke to God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33.11)
As long as Moses kept his face towards God he was able to lead the people. He was able to be who God called him to be and do what God called him to do.
Whenever he turned his face from God, whenever he relied on his own ability, his own power, his identity apart from God, that’s when Moses experienced fear and failure.
Peter & Identity
And now Peter is walking across the surface of the water. As long as his face is turned toward Jesus He’s full of faith and able to walk on water.
Why?
BECAUSE… Where we fix our eyes determines our IDENTITY and our ABILITY.
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Our Identity – TO BE WHO GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE.
Our Ability – TO DO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO DO.
As long as Peter is walking toward Jesus with his eyes fixed on Jesus he’s drawing his identity from Jesus and his ability from Jesus.
But as soon as he turns his face away, all that FAITH turns into FEAR.
Peter cries out…
“Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,”Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
When Peter returns his face towards Jesus he regains his identity and ability and walks on water all the way back to the boat!
Where do you find your IDENTITY?
Where do you find your IDENTITY when the storms of life hit?
Here’s what I think happens for many of us.
Peter didn’t find his identity in the safety of the boat. And he didn’t find his identity in the storm, at least, not for long. He was willing to step out of the safety of the boat into the storm to experience the adventure-filled life with Jesus.
But then, when the storm caught his attention he defaulted to his training and he began to sink.
The good news about walking with Jesus is that no matter what storm comes your way, if you’ve stepped into the adventure of walking with Jesus and if for some reason you begin to sink, he’s right there to rescue you!
And what does Peter see when he looks back to Jesus?
He doesn’t just see the face of Jesus. He sees Jesus SEEING HIM!
This is the invitation of Jesus!
The invitation of Jesus is to find our IDENTITY in Him.
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This is why you have to practice seeing Jesus every day.
This is why you have to spend time seeing Jesus in the word of God every day.
This is why you have to practice seeing Jesus in prayer every day.
So that when the crisis hits, when the storm comes, you can default to your training. And your default mode is not to look to yourself, or the boat, or the storm… but to turn your face toward Jesus.
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