Help!

But when he [Peter] saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified
and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

- St. Peter, Matthew 14:30

"Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me?"

- John Lennon, 1965

Can anybody relate? Two weeks ago, Tyler and I were driving home from a late-night Padre game at Petco Park. Traffic was heavy as we headed north on I-5. As we passed the Genessee exit, a car suddenly pulled up behind us and began flashing their lights and honking their horn. Tyler, who was driving my car, said, "Gosh Dad, the guy behind us is going nuts!" "He's probably in a hurry," I said, "but we're driving 75… just be careful… he's probably drunk." Just then, the car pulls up beside us and the passenger is gesturing wildly at us and yelling something out the window. Tyler says, "Dad, I can't hear what she's saying -- what's up with them?!" "What an idiot!...," I exclaimed, "They are going to cause an accident! Just ignore them and keep driving." Finally, they sped off. Ten minutes later, as we pass the La Costa exit, Tyler looks at me and asks, "Dad… do we have our lights on?" GeeeWizzz… turns out we had been driving for 25 minutes on I-5 at night with no lights! Here's the rub… an angel saw the danger we were in… tried to help… and we refused!

Let me ask you a question: Does anyone, besides myself, have a difficult time asking for help?

Peggy Collins wrote a book called, "Help Is Not A Four-letter Word," in which she states that most people suffer from a dangerous malady called the Self-Sufficiency Syndrome. From a very young age, we've been taught that if you want something done right you need to do it yourself. The Self-Sufficiency Syndrome is the inability or the unwillingness to ask for help either because...

    1. We think we can do it better than anyone else, or...

    2. We don't want to appear vulnerable or incompetent, or...

    3. We don't want to give up the illusion of control.

So, for most of us, when someone sees the predicament we're in and offers to help… our impulse response is to say, "No thanks, I got this!"... when we don't!

In Matthew 14, the poster boy of Self-Sufficiency, the Apostle Peter, is in big trouble. He's in a small boat, in a huge storm, on a tempestuous sea, with 11 terrified friends. Peter, however, does not seem to be afraid. He's a veteran fisherman… he's been in storms before. Suddenly, through the storm, he sees Jesus walking… on the water. Scripture says that the other disciples are more afraid now than before because they think he's a ghost. Jesus shouts, "Don't be afraid! It's Me!" Peter wipes the driving rain from his eyes and yells, "Lord, if it's you, invite me to walk on the water!" "C'mon!" Jesus smiles. Peter grabs the side of the boat… he thinks, "I got this!"... leaps… and lands… on the water! Unbelievable! As Peter's mind shouts, "I'm doin' it! I'm really doin' it!".... a wave slams into his body. A bolt of lightning explodes just above his head. A huge thunder clap jolts his body.

And suddenly, his own capacities, his self-sufficiency, his self-reliance, melts in the face of nature's terrifying power… and the poster boy of Self-Sufficiency cries out, "Lord… save me!" And so… Jesus does!

Listen… Self-sufficiency can be a strength for sure. But when it's taken to an extreme, it becomes a weakness. Are you in a stormy situation today that's exposed your limited resources… that's revealed a problem beyond your capacities… that's convinced you, in spades, that you need help? Take a lesson from Peter: Accept the offer of support from a friend(s). Reach out to professional resources for the help you need.

Ask Jesus to save you! ’Cause you are worth it to Him...and to all of us! AMEN

Pastor Harry

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