Faith For The Days You Feel Like Giving Up

Matthew 14 opens with Jesus carrying the grief of John the Baptist’s death and still moving with compassion toward hurting people. Jesus heals the sick, feeds the five thousand with one boy’s lunch, and sends the disciples into the boat while he goes up the mountain to pray. The text then says, “night fell,” and the disciples end up far from land, three or four miles out, stuck in the middle with strong wind and heavy waves.

The storm is not only dramatic. The storm is exhausting. The disciples row for something like seven to ten hours before Jesus comes during the fourth watch of the night. Weariness, then, is not necessarily the absence of faith. Weariness may be evidence that faith has been holding on for a long time. The disciples are still obeying because Jesus told them to go to the other side. Their rowing becomes a picture of ordinary faithfulness when life is hard, when the wind keeps pushing back, and when progress feels painfully slow.

Jesus could have come earlier, spoken from the shore, or calmed the storm right away. Instead, Jesus comes walking on the water in the fourth watch. When the disciples cry out in fear, Jesus says, “Take courage. I am here.” Matthew’s language points back to Exodus 3, where God reveals himself as “I AM.” Jesus is not merely saying, “Chris is here,” or “I showed up.” Jesus is revealing that the I AM is standing over the chaos. The deepest comfort in the storm is not just that Jesus knows about it, but that Jesus is Lord over it.

Peter’s request is not first about comfort. Peter says, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water.” A disciple wants to be like the rabbi. Peter steps out because he trusts the word of Jesus, not because he believes in himself. Faith is not confidence in the self. Faith is confidence in the one who calls.

Peter sinks when his attention shifts from Jesus to the wind. Fear makes the waves look bigger than God. Yet Peter’s prayer, “Lord, save me,” receives an immediate hand from Jesus. Jesus rescues sinking people, not cleaned-up people who have proved they deserve another chance. Hebrews 12 calls weary hearts to fix their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. The call is simple and costly: keep rowing, keep doing the last thing Jesus clearly said, lift up the eyes, and remember that the one who walks on the waves has never lost sight of the boat.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Weariness can mark long faith Weariness is not always unbelief wearing a different shirt. Sometimes weariness means faith has been rowing for a long time against waves that have not let up. The tired believer may be stronger than assumed, because showing up, praying, worshiping, and obeying in the dark is real faithfulness. [16:21]
• 2. Jesus is Lord over chaos Jesus does more than notice the storm from a safe distance. Matthew’s “I am here” points to the I AM, the God who revealed himself to Moses and now stands on top of the sea. The storm is not ultimate when the one who made the waters walks over them. [19:20]
• 3. Faith trusts the caller Peter does not step out because Peter has great confidence in Peter. Peter steps out because Jesus says, “Come.” Faith is not the hero of the story, and personal bravery is not the foundation. Jesus is the hero, and faith is the hand that reaches toward him. [25:45]
• 4. Fear stares at the wind Fear narrows the whole world down to the wave in front of the face. Jesus remains present, but the wind starts preaching louder than his word. The battle is not merely to feel stronger, but to turn attention back to the one who is still standing in the storm. [27:52]
• 5. Grace grabs sinking people Peter’s three-word prayer, “Lord, save me,” is met immediately by the hand of Jesus. Grace does not wait for Peter to promise better performance or prove he deserves another chance. Jesus is not only the one who walks on water, but the one who reaches into waves for sinking people. [30:15]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [09:49] - Weathering the Storm Begins
• [10:31] - Matthew 14 Sets the Scene
• [12:28] - Night Falls on the Lake
• [14:33] - Seven to Ten Hours Rowing
• [16:21] - Weariness Is Not Faithlessness
• [18:11] - Jesus Comes in the Fourth Watch
• [19:20] - The I AM Is Here
• [21:11] - Peter Wants to Be Like Jesus
• [25:01] - Peter Walks and Starts Sinking
• [25:45] - Faith Trusts the Caller
• [30:15] - Lord, Save Me
• [34:13] - Fix Eyes on Jesus
• [35:34] - Keep Rowing
• [37:56] - Come to the Altar

Bible Reading

Matthew 14:22-33
“Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’ But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage. I am here!’ Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘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.” [10:31]

Exodus 3:14
“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” [19:20]

Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” [34:13]

John 16:33
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” [10:01]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 14, what details show how long the disciples had been struggling in the storm before Jesus came to them? [14:33]
2. What does Peter actually ask Jesus to do, and how is that different from simply asking Jesus to make the storm stop? [21:11]
3. What happens right after Peter notices the wind and waves, and what does he cry out when he begins to sink? [25:17]
4. According to Hebrews 12:1-2, what are believers told to do with weights and sin, and where are they told to fix their eyes? [34:13]

Interpretation questions

1. The disciples were in trouble while obeying Jesus’ command to go to the other side. What does that suggest about the relationship between obedience and hardship? [17:41]
2. Jesus’ words, “I am here,” echo the name of God in Exodus 3. How does that deepen the meaning of Jesus meeting the disciples on the water? [19:20]
3. Peter steps out of the boat only after Jesus says, “Come.” What does that show about the difference between biblical faith and self-confidence? [25:45]
4. Jesus immediately reaches out to Peter when he cries, “Lord, save me.” What does that reveal about how Jesus responds to people who are failing, fearful, or sinking? [30:15]

Application questions

1. Weariness can be evidence that faith has been rowing for a long time. Where does life feel exhausting right now, and how can this group help name that weariness without confusing it with unbelief? [16:21]
2. “Keep rowing” can mean keep doing the last thing Jesus clearly said to do. What is one simple act of obedience that needs to continue this week, even if progress feels slow? [35:34]
3. Fear fixes its eyes on the wind. What “wind” has been demanding the most attention lately—a diagnosis, conflict, finances, uncertainty, something else—and what helps turn attention back to Jesus? [27:52]
4. Peter’s prayer was short and honest: “Lord, save me.” When life feels overwhelming, is there any reason this kind of direct prayer feels hard to pray? What usually gets in the way? [30:15]
5. Jesus is not only aware of the storm but Lord over it. How might this truth change the way a person faces a situation that has not improved for a long time? [20:42]
6. Fixing the eyes on Jesus often requires intention. What could that look like in a real moment this week when the mind starts spiraling back to the waves? [36:28]
7. Peter wanted not only relief from the storm but nearness to Jesus in the middle of it. In this season, is the deeper prayer mostly “make this stop,” or is it also “make me more like you”? What would it look like to pray both? [24:40]