The Strong Winds of Life

Lectio Divina Out Loud: Erika Dix shares how being together with the Lord will keep us from sinking.

“But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30)  

How many times have I been Peter, who in this scripture verse cries out, “Lord Save Me!” Here I am going along in this boat called Life, and then wind and waves start pummeling from every direction. What caught my heart when reading this verse was the word STRONG. It is not just any wind that is hitting the boat as well as Peter when he tried to walk on the water toward the Lord. It is a strong wind.  

How strong is the wind?

I think that when it is a light wind I can handle it, and I believe that God has given us the strength and talent to handle the light winds. But when that strong wind comes, that is when we falter, become frightened and look away from the Lord. That is when we realize that all that strength and talent we thought was ours, is not from us but from Him.  

That sinking feeling  

I have lately been saying, “Lord, save me!” so much that it feels like it has become a mantra. As part of this Lectio Divina, I recognized that instead of focusing on Jesus, I have been noticing and focusing on all the strong winds in my life: 

• Fear of my kids not doing well in school 
• Fear of my kids not keeping/finding friends 
• Fear of an unexpected journey full of unknowns that I am currently on 
• Fear of financial stability 
• Fear of transitioning to an empty nest 

That sinking feeling was like a low hum in my everyday life, and many times it was difficult to hear what anyone was saying, let alone the Lord.  

Caught immediately 

The next verse caught my heart even more:  

“Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31) 

I saw how quickly Jesus reacted to Peter, and that strengthened me. Jesus is not looking down on me and criticizing my faith. He has already caught me and is helping me with my faith, pointing out instead that I need Him next to me in order to have great faith. 

Together 

The next verse helps us to see where we need Jesus in our lives: 

“After they got into the boat, the wind died down.” (Matthew 14:32) 

When I read this verse, I saw in my mind both Jesus and Peter climbing into the boat, together, and the strong wind stopped. Jesus wants us to know that when we are together, the strong winds in our lives calm down. The issues may still be there but they are not as big, scary or trying to pummel our lifeboat. Jesus is able to take the strong wind and make it a light wind, one that we can handle, knowing God already gave us the strength to do so. All while holding Jesus’ hand and walking on water together.  

Prayer

Jesus, You save us in so many ways. Thank you for being with us and catching us when we falter in the strong winds of our lives.  

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Copyright 2024 Erika Dix
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