In Matthew 14, just after the Savior had fed the 5,000, he sent the apostles away in a ship to the other side of the sea, and then He went away to pray. Later that night, when the apostles were still in the ship because they were caught in a storm, the Savior came to them, walking on the water. And when the disciples saw Him, they must have been afraid because Christ called out to them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” My guess is that Christ must have smiled at Peter’s faith, and the Lord said very simply, “Come.” That’s amazing! And what’s even more amazing is that Peter actually got out of a perfectly good ship in the midst of a storm and stepped out onto the water. He actually walked on the water! Because of his faith in Christ, he was able to find strength beyond his own. And because of that, he was able to accomplish something that, by our standards, was completely impossible. All the Lord said was, “Come,” and Peter stepped out of the ship.  

Wouldn’t it be nice to have this kind of relationship with the Savior? In our lives, we have times when we’re asked to do the “impossible” so to speak. We are asked to bear a burden, weather a trial, overcome an addiction, or to do battle with our numerous personal weaknesses. But Christ has reminded us that all things are possible when we keep our eyes and hearts focused on Him. In this manner, we will be ready when He reaches out His hand to us, and simply says, “Come.” (Adapted from the article by David Bowman, “Come.”)

But sometimes though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak, and our feelings get all mixed up.  It’s easy to forget what we know. Tiredness and frustration can overwhelm us and we can get worn down.

But what if we had a guarantee that all the problems bothering us today will be worked out in the most perfect way, and that we’ll eventually be grateful for those problems because of the lessons they teach? What if we had a guarantee that we are going to experience exactly what we need to in order to become who we are intended to be. What if we knew the future was going to be good, and that we will be able to handle everything that comes our way?

Now I know what you’re thinking. That would be hard to believe! In fact, without an All-knowing, All-powerful God to orchestrate these things, they would be impossible for us to accomplish on our own. But this is exactly what we believe. And the scriptures are full of reminders that we can find a strength beyond our own to accomplish everything that is needful. 

We may not be ready to understand the great possibilities that will be within our reach, so to speak.  But the time will come when the Savior reaches out His hand to us and we obediently respond to His invitation, “Come.”  

John Waterbury is a retired Clinical Mental Health Counselor who has lived in Utah since 1984 when he moved to Bountiful with his wife and four children. Since then, he has written a weekly column for several years for the Davis County Clipper titled “The Dear John Letters” which was also used throughout the intermountain West focusing on addiction and mental health problems. This new column will focus on mental health and life management issues.  λ