Stepping Out in Faith: Trusting Jesus in the Storm / Guest Post by Corder Helmick

There’s a passage in the Bible that I heavily relate to and often use while giving my testimony - Matthew 14:24-33, the account of Jesus walking on water in the midst of a storm. I will be referencing multiple parts of this passage throughout this blog post.

I was raised in a Christian home, but all throughout my childhood and up into high school, my walk with Christ was summed up by the phrase “I know of Christ, but I do not know Christ.” I had a pretty firm grasp that God created the world and that Jesus died for my sins, but I had never stepped into a personal relationship with Christ. God was an entity that was completely authoritative, not a loving God that I could have a relationship with.

I played hockey my whole life and even played for three and a half years in college. However, my story begins with baseball. During my early high school years, both hockey and baseball consumed my life. Playing on two teams for each sport meant not only that all my time was spent playing these sports year-round, but it also meant that my identity became dependent on my performance in sports. During the school year and throughout the summer, baseball seemed to take off out of nowhere. I had never thought about playing sports in college, and now I had multiple college coaches talking to me about playing at their schools. I even earned the opportunity to go to a professional showcase where there were multiple major league scouts. I felt like I was on top of the world, and my entire identity was in baseball – it was going amazingly well at the time...
 
However, “the storms” soon came. During the following hockey season, while still talking to college coaches about my baseball options, it all came to an end. I suffered a season-ending injury involving the dislocation of my shoulder and almost complete tear of my labrum, and you guessed it - it was my throwing arm. My life completely changed as a result of that moment. My faith really took a hit during this part of my life, as I couldn’t see why God could let this happen to me. I’m reminded of verses 24-26 of the passage in Matthew 14 - Jesus seemed to me like a dark creature in the distance amidst the storms in my life.  

During my recovery from this injury, I initially tried to come closer to Christ. I began to start praying more and reached out to Him the only way I knew how - by reciting prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer. The next season for baseball was coming soon, and I was determined to get back to full health so I could keep playing. I still rooted my identity in the sport. However, you guessed it again, more storms were brewing...
 
My recovery and re-entry to the sport was cut short with the emergence of the COVID pandemic. Everything shut down, canceling the season and my hopes of playing baseball at the next level. “The storms” worsened, as there were also multiple health issues in my family. I was juggling online school, my own injury, as well as these family health issues, and it was becoming too much. But out of stubbornness, I continued to try to carry this burden by myself.  

This brings us to verses 27-30 of the passage. Jesus calls out to the disciples in the boat, telling them to not be afraid. Peter then asks Jesus to bid him to walk on the water toward Jesus, if it is truly Him. Peter then begins to walk on the water while looking at Jesus (a picture of myself during my injury recovery before COVID halted everything). However, when Peter begins to look at the storms that surround him - the bolstering winds, the waves and thunder crashing - he begins to sink into the water. This is what was happening in my life. I was too focused on the storms surrounding me in my life, instead of fixing my eyes on the Savior right in front of me.
 
I remember like it was yesterday... alone in my room one night, I broke down in tears, fully knelt down, and prayed to Jesus himself, not just reciting prayers. I asked Jesus to lift the burdens of my life from me, and gave my life to Him. I promised to would live by His word and find my identity in who Christ says I am, rather than in things of the world.  Verses 30-33 in this passage summarize this event in my life. Peter cries out to Jesus asking to be saved, Jesus asks why he doubted and calls him "you of little faith.” This was me. Then Jesus pulled Peter out of the stormy waters into the boat, and when Jesus stepped into the boat the storms ceased. Jesus stepped into my life and calmed the storms. Not the storms of COVID, but the spiritual storm that was brewing within me for years. I relate to this passage so much in my walk with Christ, not only for the similarities, but because it was bookmarked in my mother’s old Bible that she had given to me, and it was the first passage I ever read for myself that night I gave my life to Christ.  

Far too often we can become distracted in our walk with Christ. When Jesus calls us to do something, we may start off really strong. But somewhere along the way we start shifting our gaze away from Jesus and start focusing on the storms - the things along the journey that may be hard or frightening. Then we start sinking just as Peter did. We must fix our eyes on Jesus in our lives, we must not waver from Him and His plan for us; if our eyes wander, we begin to sink. However, even if our eyes do wander, there is hope from our great and gracious God. Jesus comes in both authority and affection, power and proximity. He is both infinite and intimate, meaning that He draws near to us always even when we begin to sink. Jesus sacrificed Himself for us on the cross, so that we may have eternal life if we repent and believe in the Gospel!
 
In the same way that Jesus was able to make Peter walk on water toward Him, He can make the unlikeliest of people become fishers of men and ministers of His word! In my life, I never could have imagined that Jesus would use me in any way. However, He took the broken person that I was, made me new in Him, and led me on a path of ministry in the sport of hockey. In college, I was able to help start a team tradition of praying at center ice after every practice and game. I was also able to help start and lead weekly Bible studies for our team, and became an FCA leader, not only ministering to my hockey guys but also to the other athletes across campus. Jesus made His light shine through me where I was once filled with darkness. When we fix our eyes on Jesus and live according to His word, He can transform us completely and in the unlikeliest of ways!

Regardless of how others perceive us, we have ultimate victory through Jesus Christ and the furthering of His Kingdom! I hope that this encourages you that Jesus is always drawing near to you, and all we have to do is trust and believe in Him while we walk through His plan for us!