When Drowning, Reach for the Savior

Bible Stories Today, Episode 1

Lessons from Bible stories: When we feel like we are drowning, the Savior can rescue us. Some times trials seem too hard and too insurmountable, but with God on our side, we can walk on water. Have hope in Christ and cling to Him in hard times.

Here is the transcript of the video:

Tamara Anderson 0:01

When I was about five years old, I drowned, almost drowned in the ocean. And my family was visiting a beach in Maryland. And I had my back to the ocean, which by the way, never knew that. And I was just looking for shells along the seashore. That was one of the things I did back then. And while I was doing that, a big wave came, and it pushed me down and started sucking me back out to sea. And the feeling, I remember is the feeling of panic. And it was so disconcerting to have the water kind of spinning me, I remember feeling like I didn't know which way was up, I didn't know which way was down, I didn't know which way to flail, or to try to get to, I was just being sucked back out to sea. And I remember just being so scared, and I didn't know what to do.

Tamara Anderson 1:04

And at that moment of panic, I remember feeling an arm reach down and grab me and pull me out. And my uncle had seen me get knocked over. And so he ran out and grabbed me and pulled me out of the water. And of course, I came out sputtering, coughing, and you know, just totally, totally faithful, first of all, but just that state of panic of someone who has been drowning, right. And so I was really thankful, first of all, that he was watching out for me, and happened to see me go down, and that he came and rescued me.

Tamara Anderson 1:43

And this story reminds me a little bit of a story in the Bible, where the disciples of Jesus Christ were were out on the ocean or out on the sea, and, and a big storm came. And while while they were waiting, and waiting for the Savior, out on the sea, and Matthew chapter 14, it says that "Jesus went to them, and he was walking on the water. And then when they saw him coming, says they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit, and they cried out in fear." So he was coming to them the most direct route, and they were scared. "But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying, Be of good cheer, it is i Be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it'd be thou bid me come on to the on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him and saddened him, oh, thou have little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt?"

Tamara Anderson 3:12

I love this story, and the parallels that we can apply to our lives. First of all, so many times, we feel like we are drowning, literally, with the troubles and problems that are surrounding us, and perhaps the ones we love, and we feel overwhelmed, and we feel like we are sinking. Kind of like me, when I was a little girl, we feel like we're tumbling through the waves. We don't know which way to go. We don't know which ways up. And we need someone to save us.

Tamara Anderson 3:41

And so perhaps that's the first lesson to be learned from this is there is someone watching, and he loves us very much. And he is ready to reach out his hand and pull us up from the storm. And, and I love that I love that here in this verse 31. It says, Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, oh, thou have little faith. Wherefore did sow doubt. But first, before that verse, Peter called out and said, Lord saved me.

Tamara Anderson 4:13

So I think our role in this when we feel like we're drowning, is to call out to the Savior and say, Help me, save me, I need some help. We're taught time and time again in the scriptures, asking you shall receive. And it doesn't mean that he's going to immediately calm the sea. Because in fact, it says here that just because Jesus was walking on the water doesn't mean that the sea was totally calm.

Tamara Anderson 4:38

But I think that's the second lesson we can learn from this is that no life storm is too powerful, or is more powerful than the power of God, that he can come to us. No matter how crazy our lives are. He can walk through that storm. He is more powerful than any trial, any trouble For any inner turmoil that you may be experiencing, he's more powerful than that. So you don't have to worry about Christ being able to access you, he will get to you, he can help you come.

Tamara Anderson 5:13

And that's probably the third lesson we can learn is to win need to take that leap of faith and walk towards the Savior. And sometimes that's a really scary feeling, to do something like walk in water, which in our brains seems totally impossible. It's against the laws of nature, right? But when God says something and invites us to come, like Peter, Peter asked him, he says, if it's you, tell me to come to you. Because he knew once the Lord issued a command that he could do it, he knew that he had enough faith in the Savior, even that was a little faith. And thats what the Savior said, Oh, ye of little faith, he had a little bit, right. And so we can do impossible things, when we keep our eyes fixed on the Savior.

Tamara Anderson 6:08

So keep our eyes fixed on the Savior. That's when Peter started to sink was when he took his eyes off the Savior and looked and saw the storm and saw the waves. And, and that's always going to happen because we're mortal. We're going to take our eyes off the Savior for a moment, and we're going to start thinking, Oh, no, save me, right? But if we keep our eyes fixed on him as much as possible, then we can do the impossible. We can walk through those storms, which other lot, otherwise would totally paralyze us.

Tamara Anderson 6:42

I think another lesson to be learned here is to be of good cheer. When we see and recognize the hand of the Lord, you remember at the beginning of the story that the Savior starts coming to them at first, they're afraid they're like, oh, no, it's some crazy spirit come in to haunt us or something. And, and when they recognized Him, He told them Be of good cheer.

Tamara Anderson 7:06

So one of the things we can do when we're struggling in life is to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives. And maybe that takes a little creative thinking, or some pondering some meditating, either at the beginning of the day, or at the end of the day, to think through your day and think, did I see God in my life today? I like to journal about it, because sometimes that brings things to my mind more clearly. And I'll think you know what, I did see the hand of God in my life today, and that is reaffirming. And that helps us see in little details that God is with us, and he's not leaving us alone.

Tamara Anderson 7:44

And one lesson that I don't think we, we draw from this, this, this story from the New Testament, is a final lesson that once Jesus pulled Peter back out of the water, they walked back to the boat together. And so I think that's a fabulous lesson to learn is when we have hold that the Savior in our terrible storms of life, we can walk with Him. And we can do the impossible. So I think the key is linking ourselves to Him, keeping our eye on him, being of good cheer when we recognize his hand and realizing that, with his help, no storm is too powerful for us. So keep your eye on the Savior today and always. It will bring you hope. Hope on!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai