Keep Your Eyes on Jesus: Trusting God in Fear and Silence

Readings:
1 Kings 19:9, 11–13
Psalm 84(85):9–14
Romans 9:1–5
Matthew 14:22–33

Sometimes our greatest struggle in faith is not believing that God exists, but trusting that God is still with us when we are afraid, discouraged, distracted, or uncertain.

Today's readings remind us that God speaks to us, guides us, calls us to care for others, and reaches out to us when our faith begins to weaken.

1 Kings 19:9, 11–13 — Listening to God in the Silence

Elijah was afraid, discouraged, and hiding in a cave. God told him to come out and stand before Him.

Then came a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire—but the Lord was not in them. After these came a gentle, quiet sound, and Elijah recognized the presence of God.

Sometimes we may expect God to speak to us through something extraordinary. Yet God can speak quietly within our hearts.

Our lives can become filled with work, responsibilities, entertainment, worries, phones, social media, and many other distractions. In all that noise, it becomes difficult to listen.

Sometimes we may even hide from God's call because we remember our past. We may think:

"Who am I to speak about God? People know what I used to be like. They may think I am pretending to be holy."

But God does not wait for us to become perfect before He begins working through us. He calls us to repentance and conversion and gives us the grace to continue changing.

Our past sins should make us humble, but they should not stop us from serving God.

Sometimes we simply need to become quiet and say:

"Lord, I am listening. What do You want from me?"

Psalm 84(85):9–14 — Learning to Wait and Listen

The Psalmist says that he will listen to what God has to say.

This is something we often struggle with.

We pray and sometimes expect an immediate answer. We want God to solve our problems according to our timetable. When nothing seems to happen, we may begin wondering whether God has heard us.

But prayer is not only about speaking to God. Prayer is also about listening to Him.

God's answer may not always come when or how we expect it. Sometimes He changes the situation; sometimes He changes us while we are going through the situation.

Our responsibility is to remain faithful, listen to Him, obey Him, and trust that He knows the path ahead better than we do.

God sees the whole road while we can often see only the next few steps.

Romans 9:1–5 — Caring About the Faith of Others

St. Paul expresses tremendous sorrow because many of his fellow Israelites have not accepted Christ.

Instead of condemning them, Paul grieves for them.

This teaches us something important about evangelization.

When someone does not believe in God, has stopped practicing the faith, or is living far from God, our first response should not be judgment.

It should be love, concern, and prayer.

Sometimes it is easy to point out another person's sins while forgetting our own weaknesses. Paul shows us another way.

We can pray:

"Lord, bring this person closer to You—and help me also to remain close to You."

We should pray for one another because every one of us needs God's grace.

Matthew 14:22–33 — Don't Look at the Storm; Look at Jesus

The disciples were in a boat when strong winds and waves surrounded them. Then they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water.

They became frightened.

Jesus told them:

"Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter then did something extraordinary. He stepped out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus.

As long as Peter was focused on Jesus, he continued forward. But when he noticed how strong the wind was, fear began taking over.

Peter started sinking.

Immediately he cried:

"Lord, save me!"

And Jesus reached out His hand.

This is very similar to our spiritual lives.

We may begin something with great faith. We trust God and believe everything will be fine.

Then the storms come.

Problems arise. People criticize us. Our prayers seem unanswered. Our plans fail. Fear enters our hearts.

Suddenly we begin looking more at our problems than at Jesus.

Like Peter, we begin to sink into fear, confusion, and doubt.

But there is something beautiful about Peter's response.

He called upon Jesus.

And Jesus did not abandon him.

Jesus reached out His hand.

Feeling afraid does not automatically mean that we have no faith. Fear is part of being human. What matters is what we do with that fear.

When fear comes, we can either allow it to control us or turn toward Christ and say:

"Lord, save me. I trust You."

Our Faith Is Still Growing

We should never think that we must become completely holy before God can use us.

We are all still learning.

We are all still struggling.

We are all still being converted.

There may even be moments when people remember our past and say, "Why is this person talking about God now?"

That should not stop us from following Christ.

If God has changed something in our lives, we should be grateful. We do not have to pretend that we have always been perfect. Instead, we can humbly admit that we are sinners who continue to need God's mercy and grace every day.

Elijah reminds us to listen for God in the silence.

The Psalm reminds us to listen and trust in God's salvation.

St. Paul reminds us to care about the faith and salvation of others.

Peter reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus when the storms come.

And Jesus reminds us:

"Take courage... do not be afraid."

Reflection Question

What is the "storm" in my life right now that is taking my attention away from Jesus, and what can I do this week to place my trust in Him again?

Perhaps the first step is very simple:

Find a quiet place.

Put away the distractions.

Be silent before God.

And pray:

"Lord, help me to hear Your voice, trust You in my fears, pray for others instead of judging them, and keep my eyes fixed on You when the storms of life come. Amen."