Lord, Save Me

by Fr. Jerome Cayetano  |  08/09/2026  |  The WORD in other words

Where do you turn to when you are beset by difficulties and insurmountable problems? Do you naturally turn to God in prayer? But this seems to be a very selfish and pragmatic approach to God which should not be the case. We have to always turn to God in good and bad times.

Our first reading tells us about Elijah fleeing from the wrath of Queen Jezebel who threatened to kill him after King Ahab told her that he was responsible for the death of two thousand prophets of Baal. Elijah ran away and fled for his life, going from Beersheba to Judah until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.

He prayed: “This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” The angel of the Lord came and woke him up. He twice commanded him to eat and drink for a long journey. Strengthened by the food and water, he walked for forty days and nights to Mount Horeb to encounter God. He took refuge in a cave. Then God said: “Why are you here, Elijah?” He said in reply: “I have been a zealous prophet of the Lord, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I am alone am left, and they seek to take my life.” Then the Lord told him to go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for he will be passing by. The Lord was not in a strong wind, was not in an earthquake, was not in fire, but in a tiny whispering sound. When Elijah heard this he covered his face with his cloak and stood at the entrance of the cave.” The presence of God comforted him and give him solace.

The Gospel tells us that after Jesus had fed the five thousand people and sent them home, He instructed his disciples to get into the boat, while He remained in prayer. In the meantime, the boat was being tossed by a strong wind. By three in the morning, he came toward them on the sea. When they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” Jesus assured them: “Get hold of yourselves! It is I, do not be afraid.” And Peter said: “Lord, if it is really you, let me come to the water.” “Come!,” Jesus said. Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water moving toward Jesus. But when he perceived how strong the wind and waves were, he became frightened and began to sink. He cried out: “Lord save me!” Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him. Then Jesus said: “How little faith you have! Why did you falter?” Once they climbed into the boat the wind died down. The disciples showed him reverence and acknowledged: “Beyond doubt, you are truly the Son of God.”

To understand completely the meaning behind this miracle, we have to connect it to the multiplication of the bread and fish. These are two nature miracles. Matthew together with the other evangelist would like to point out that Jesus is not just a wonder worker or miracle worker, but He is the Son of God who feeds his people by multiplying the bread and the fish. He is the Son of God who walks on the water and can calm the winds and the waves.

For Matthew this incident is full of symbolism. The boat represents the church; the disciples beaten by the winds and the waves point to persecution the early Christian community faced. The physical absence of Jesus tells them that He is in heaven. In the hour of their need, Jesus comes to them, and with his presence, calms their fears and brings them peace. The incident of Peter sinking, and being saved by Jesus, gives reference to Peter’s denial of Jesus, and his restoration after the Resurrection.

The message of both the first reading and Gospel reading is very simple: We should never lose heart when we face crises in life. We have a God who never abandons us. He is always with us. Therefore, we have just to put our faith and trust in Him. Like Peter, we often struggle between having faith in God and doubting his presence, most especially when we are beset by tremendous and profound difficulties in life. We must acknowledge that with Jesus with us, we would overcome the vicissitudes of life. Our problem is that we often allow fear to overtake us instead of focusing our eyes on Jesus. Remember, as long as Peter was focused on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water. But when he allowed his fear to sink in because of the strong wind and waves, he begun to sink. And another thing, like Peter we should not allow our pride to take control in us. In times of difficulty, when we feel that we are going down, let us be humble enough to cry out to God: “Lord, save us!” Jesus is there for us because He is our Savior! It is only with great, profound faith and trust in God that we are able to cry out to him like a child crying out to his dad.