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Here is part 2 of the story about the sea of sorrows. In this post you will find a detailed interpretation of this scene. My thoughts on the subject of worry are extensive, as I often fall into this trap myself. Just as I was writing these two blog posts, the sea of worry tried to drown me. As there is so much to say on the subject, I have split it into two posts.

First up is the continuation of our story. If you haven't read the first part yet, you can read the here to catch up.

The rescue

No matter how loud the waves rage, the cry for help of a sinking soul never goes unheard. Even if it is only a silent cry from the heart, God hears it always and everywhere!

Suddenly, Jesus appears in front of the wanderer. He is still standing safely on the raging water. The waves cannot harm him. His gaze is full of concern and heartfelt compassion. He stretches out his strong hand towards the wanderer. With his last ounce of strength, he grasps the arm of the Almighty. With ease, Jesus pulls the walker out of the water and places his feet back on the surface. Jesus then raises his arm and, with the authority of the Creator of the sea, commands the waves to calm down. The troubled sea calms down immediately. The huge waves subside and the sea becomes as smooth as glass.

The serious eyes, filled with infinite compassion, look directly at the wanderer. In a gentle voice with a hint of sadness in it, Jesus says: „Oh, you of little faith! Why did you doubt?“

The hiker remains silent. There was simply no excuse. He is ashamed of his arrogance and selfishness. He has made Jesus sad through his unbelief. That hurts him the most.

Now the mainland was not far away. The shore was already clearly visible. Once they had solid ground under their feet again, the wanderer fell down before Jesus: „You are truly God! Depart from me, for I am a sinful man!“ He is aware of his absolute unworthiness. Before him stands the Creator of the universe! All the laws of nature are subject to him. He obeys the wind and the waves. What a little worm he was in comparison? How could pride arise in his heart? How could he take his eyes off Jesus? Why did he mistrust this infinite love again and again? The wanderer had already experienced the care and blessing of Jesus so often. Yet he was so quick to doubt it. So quickly the problems in his eyes became stronger than the almighty power of his God. The wanderer's inadequacy was crystal clear to him. Filled with shame, he dared not look Jesus in the eye.

So Jesus bends down to him and says: „Come on, get up! Let's walk together for a while. There are a few benches at the back. We can sit down there and talk about everything in detail. I would love to hear what moves you and discuss the rest of your journey with you.“

No further words of rebuke come from Jesus' lips. He invites the wayfarer to leave the sea of worries behind him. He should no longer allow himself to be tormented by his mistakes, but look ahead.
The two leave the sea of worries behind them. Relieved, the wanderer enjoys the solid ground under his feet as he continues on his way together with Jesus.

What we can learn from this

In this world, we are surrounded by problems and challenges. This is simply a natural consequence of sin. These problems cause us worry. There is so much we can worry about. Yes, our whole life is filled with worries. There are people who are masters at always expecting the worst everywhere and thereby creating (unnecessary) worries.

Worries can arise when choosing the right partner. Singles worry about whether they will remain alone and perhaps become lonely. There are worries about not being good enough, constantly doing things wrong and not living up to the expectations of others. Some worry because they don't know how to feed their family, where to get their next meal or because they have nothing to wear. Others are worried about world politics and all the evil in this world. You can spend the whole day thinking about the plans of evil and imagining the darkest scenarios for the future of this world. It robs you of all hope.

But what most worries have in common is that they usually revolve around themselves. The focus is on the ME. However, many parents and grandparents also worry about their children and grandchildren. But here too, the focus is on the circumstances and what could happen. Most of our worries are unnecessary. We often imagine them much more intensely in our imagination than in reality.

As is so often the case, focus is crucial here too. What am I focusing on? What am I thinking about? Am I imagining horror scenarios in my head about what could happen? Some people also have real worries, such as hunger or another serious problem like an illness. But do my thoughts revolve around this problem? Do I give my fears the space they demand?

If this is the case, then we are like the wanderer who turns his gaze from Jesus to the water. Suddenly he sees how dangerous the water can be. At any moment, it could pull him into the depths.

But like the wanderer, we so quickly lose sight of the Creator of water. God is omnipotent. He has the power to command the waves. He also has the power over our worries. God has a thousand ways to care for us, and we can't see a single way out ourselves! God has the big picture. We are stuck in the thick clouds of our worries and can't even see the hand in front of our eyes. But God is above the clouds and sees the big picture. He knows how best to meet our needs. He is a loving Father who cares for his children.

Have you ever seen a toddler who cries all day because he is afraid that his parents might leave him? This is despite the fact that his parents have always given him enough to eat and lovingly cared for him. There is no reason for the child to doubt the love and care of its parents. Children have absolute basic trust in their parents, that they will take care of them and that their parents can do anything.

Our trust in our heavenly Father should be the same. We can firmly trust that he will provide for all our needs and that everything is possible for him.

In principle, worry is a mistrust of God's love, care and omnipotence.

Nature's remedy for worries

The next time you feel anxious, take a walk in nature. See the sun that rises anew every morning. It is proof of God's faithfulness. Look at the infinite blue sky. It shows how unlimited God's possibilities are to care for us.

Admire the sublime trees. They do not worry whether they will get enough water and nutrients to grow. They simply stretch their roots deep into the earth and gratefully receive what God gives them. Listen to the cheerful song of the birds. They are not worried about finding enough food to feed their young. They don't think that an enemy could be lurking around every corner, trying to take their lives. Their focus is on collecting the food that their Creator has placed in nature for them with grateful hearts and passing it on to their young. They fly around busily, singing songs of praise to God's glory.

Let's become like the birds! Yes, dangers and difficulties lurk around every corner. Life in this world is hard and can also bring hardship. But the birds don't think about all that. They happily chirp their songs and trust in God's loving care.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring. But Jesus once said (Matthew 6:26-34):

„Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow, they do not reap, they do not gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more precious than they?But who is there among you who could add a cubit to his length, however much he cares for it? And why do you worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not labor, nor do they spin. I tell you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not clothed like one of them. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today stands and tomorrow is thrown into the oven: ought he not much more to do this for you, O ye of little faith?Therefore you should not worry and say, “What will we eat? What shall we drink? What will we clothe ourselves with?The Gentiles seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its own. It is enough that each day has its own plague."

Jesus tells us here what our focus should be on. We don't need to worry about tomorrow, because God provides for us. We don't need to worry about our food and clothing, because God has already made provision for them. But there is a condition attached to this promise of God.

What is your focus?

God wants us to put him and his kingdom first. This should be our main focus. All our thoughts, strength and energy should be spent on advancing God's work. We should be preoccupied with God, His Word and serving people. Let us do what is important to God. Then God will take care of what is important to us.

When our focus is on God and serving him, we don't have time to worry. We no longer notice the raging waves around us. Then they also have no power over us. When the wanderer turned his gaze away from Jesus to the waves, they became more and more powerful and frightening. The more power he gave the waves, the more he began to sink. When the focus is on Jesus, he gains power in our lives and worries lose their influence over us.

We can decide for ourselves what is allowed to have power over us. Unfortunately, we all too often give too much power to worries and problems. This weakens our faith and paralyzes us in our usefulness in life. Who has been able to add anything to their lifespan through worry? The opposite is true! It has been scientifically proven that even small worries and fears shorten our lifespan. So you really can drown in the sea of worry.

So why hold on to your worries any longer?

Let us focus much more on Jesus and put our energy into his work! Then we will find that the problems will vanish into thin air before us. We will continue to grow in strength, joy and hope. And we will lead a useful and fulfilling life. Because we will no longer revolve around ourselves and our imperfections or the problems in this world, but the aim of our lives will be to spread as much light and joy as possible.

May God help us to turn our gaze from our worries to him. This is possible by looking for evidence of God's care and omnipotence in the Bible, in nature and in our everyday lives. I can promise you, we are surrounded by it! Consciously keep your eyes open for it and write down your discoveries!

If you are on the verge of drowning in your worries, don't give up! Call on God for help! He will respond immediately to this prayer and pull you out of the sea of worry and calm the storm in your life. Fight on your knees, clinging to the promises of God until you have won the victory and the peace of God has entered your heart. How few people today know what it means to wrestle with God. But like Jacob, we can still defeat God in our weakness today. May we conquer our troubles together with God!

Here the story continues!