The Renegade Psychiatrist – Don’t Focus on the Wind and Lose Hope 

By Dr. Larry Banta 

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 

“Come,” he said. 

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:25-31 

As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, the wind and the waves were of no concern. He turned away from looking at Jesus and saw the wind, he lost hope, and started to sink. It is so easy for us to lose our focus on the eternal and start to see the wind. 

Considering the current world situation, one might easily become quite overwhelmed.  Everything seems to be falling apart. There are storms, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, persecution, deadly riots and terrorism. Evil seems to be everywhere and increasing. 

In John 6.33 we read: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

By focusing on Jesus instead of the wind, we have true hope. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. 

Faith is the foundation for hope. Faith is in something real; the Truth found in God’s unfailing Word. It is easy to start focusing on the wind and forget the basis of our faith. We begin to lose hope as we focus too much on the wind. We have to refocus on Jesus, every day, not just on Sundays. Take time away from the worries of this world, dig into the Word, meditate on it, remembering what our true foundation is. 

Here is the foundation of our faith, providing true hope: 

1. God created everything. He is the first cause, the cause without His own cause.
2. Man chose to disobey God, giving rise to sin and rebellion through all the generations of humans.
3. We inherited the sinful nature, but we can be forgiven for anything we have done, if we repent and believe in Jesus. We then become new creatures, the old has passed away (1 Corinthians 5:17).
4. We have a choice as to where we will spend eternity: choose redemption through Jesus or reject Him. No other choices.
5. Though we are redeemed and able to live without being slaves to sin, the world is not redeemed yet. There is evil in this world, and we are in a constant battle against spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12).
6. Our only real purpose in life is to bring glory and honor to our God.
7. We are eternal beings created as a soul and we happen to have a body.
8. We can have abundant life here as stated in John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life, and have it in abundance.”

The 9th source of hope: There is a great reward awaiting us when we finish this race knowing Jesus: Heaven. 

Those without the hope found in the relationship with Christ look at the wind, the trouble and evil in the world and conclude that either there is no God or that we have displeased the goddess of the earth, or some other false deity. They feel we have a responsibility to turn the world around, make it better, create a heaven on earth, a utopia. 

We, however, are very small and powerless in the eternal sense. We cannot control the weather, earthquakes, natural disasters. We cannot even control our own lives as to how long we will live or what tomorrow may bring. We can control our eternal destiny, however, by accepting the free gift of God for eternal salvation. 

If we have lost hope and have become overwhelmed with the circumstances of life, how can we get back in focus? Without hope there is no meaning in life. Hopelessness is a real cause of losing the will to live and taking one’s own life. So, it is essential that we maintain hope, and help to instill it in others. 

Starting the journey back to hope means getting back into a relationship with God, refocusing on Jesus rather than the wind. 

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. – Psalm 37:4 

As we delight in the Lord through His Word, in prayer, and with praise, we begin to see how much He loves us. Our desires then change to be His desires. 

Return to fellowship with other believers. For good reason we are told in Hebrews 10:25 – And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching. 

• If you do not have a regular church, seek out one that is Bible-believing. Joining a small group is also a powerful way to maintain our hope and perspective.  
• Work on gratitude and praise, considering our blessings, whether great or small, and then giving thanks to God for all of it. Lifting our hearts in praise and worship helps us to see how great and wonderful He is (Philippians 4:6).
• Restore your priorities in life. Sometimes our outside activities take over and we lose our focus. Our first priority is our relationship with Christ, taking care of ourselves so we are able to care for our other priorities. This would include our family, friends, our work, ministry and other activities.

Our life will be filled with blessings if we seek Him first. We can have joy and abundant life even when circumstances are difficult. 

Losing hope is a serious problem. Sometimes it is more than just spiritual. It can be a symptom of a serious mental disorder such as major depression or bipolar disorder. Help is available through local mental health professionals. Treatment works and can be life-changing. For immediate help, the local emergency rooms can get you into the proper treatment, or use the national mental health hotline 988. This will put you in touch with a local crisis team that can talk with you and guide you toward the proper help. 

Psalm 42:5 

Why, my soul, are you downcast? 

Why so disturbed within me? 

Put your hope in God, 

for I will yet praise him, 

my Savior and my God. 

 

Focusing on the wind will take our eyes off of Jesus and the hope we have in Him, then we start to sink. Keeping our eyes on Jesus, we will be able to deal with whatever the wind and waves may bring our way, and we will have joy and hope in our journey. 

 

Dr. Larry Banta is an author of several books, a retired psychiatrist, and a former missionary. He served in India, Mexico and Kenya. He and his wife, Evelyn, a counselor, travel together to provide consultation and training in various international locations.