extreme contingency

you're already walking on water; don't be distracted by the wind.

²⁸And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." ²⁹He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" ³²And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Matthew 14:28-33 (English Standard Version)

The other night as I felt myself slipping a little deeper into my foxhole I was reading through Matthew and really felt that the Lord had directed me to this particular gospel pericope. As I walked away from the text, I meditated on the importance of keeping my eyes on Jesus not matter what dangerous distractions I find in my environment.

But it occurred to me this morning that even though Peter became frightened by the wind, he was still walking on water. In other words, the wind itself didn't really make his situation more tenuous than it already was!

Similarly, whether we are conscious of it or not, we all are always extremely contingent on God - for every heartbeat, for every breath, for every bite of food, even for our desire for Him. Wisdom and peace come simply as we make ourselves aware of this fact, coupled with our acceptance of God's outrageous love for us. As the winds whip up and we do not sink, we are simply given more ample evidence of our contingency.