Looking at the "Up" side of "Down"

While going through a very rough patch in my life, I prayed and asked the Lord, "Why do we have to go down?"  Immediately in my mind's eye, the image of a diver on a diving board flashed.  I could see their feet on the end of the board and the board bending "down" and then suddenly springing back up as the diver was propelled high into the air to perform his flips. 

No sooner did that image flash by and another took its place, it was a gymnast running down and bounding onto a trampoline before leaping over the pommel horse.  I noticed their feet, in the "down" motion just before they leaped high in the air over the obstacle in their path.

The Spirit of God whispered to my heart, “to achieve what they need to do, they have to go down before they spring up.  They needed that brief downward motion to enable them to fly higher than if they would have attempted the maneuver from a flat, even surface.”  My heart soared as my spirit grasped what the Holy Spirit was sharing with me.

Recently,  I was contemplating this, and I couldn't help but think about Peter when he had gotten out of the boat...He was walking on water, something that to my knowledge no one else besides the LORD had ever done before or since.

I’m sure many of us have heard it taught that Peter went down because he took his eyes of Jesus.  This is a powerful lesson to us all; but if we look further, although Peter sunk, Jesus did not leave him there, He pulled him up!  And, not only did he pull Peter up; He walked with Him all the way back to the boat.

Matt 14:28-33 NLT
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.

I can imagine after this walk, Peter’s faith grew as he realized that Jesus is with us in the storm and He remains with us until we are safe and the storm stops.  What the enemy means to use to destroy us; Jesus walks on it with sweet Victory not stopping Him from accomplishing what He said He will do!

We will all encounter times where it seems we are sinking, but we can take heart that our Savior doesn’t just get into the water, He rises above it and pulls us up to walk by His side.

I can honestly say, on this side of the storm, that my Faith in Christ is stronger now than before the storm began.  I have seen the faithfulness of God to walk with me during the midst of the storm and His faithfulness to lead me through it until I am safe.
Artist rendering By Yongsung Kim