5 Ways to Find Jesus When We’re Drowning in May

“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there, your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:7-10, NLT).

The month of May feels like it arrives holding a venti blonde roast with an extra shot of espresso. Just surveying my calendar on Mondays in May launches my heart into a venti-level rhythm. I repeat, “Stay in today, Marnie. Stay in today.”

You, too? As we are faithful to show up in all the places we need to be, we are pulled and worn. And if we’re in a season of graduating and celebrating changes, navigating our Just-Get-Through-It Season also means navigating tender hearts even as we check off the boxes.

Prep for the party, take pictures, grab the gifts, and pick out the dresses and suits. Spread the mulch and weed the beds. Sit on the sidelines of all the events. Hit all the ceremonies and awards.

If May is a storm, then we’re in the weeks of ever-mounting waves.

We find our frantic selves in a boat, battling strong winds and heavy surges far from the level land we’re used to inhabiting. As the water rises, so does our adrenaline. We see Jesus over there, walking on top of the water, calling to us, but it’s hard to hear Him. These May days, we can read a devotion and snag a verse to hold onto, but without realizing it, our quiet time with Jesus can become more transactional and less transformational.

Jesus suddenly, unintentionally, feels far.

It’s just like the story we know. From their storm-rocked boat, the disciples panic while Jesus walks on top of the waves and tells them to calm down.

And then, in the middle of the pounding waves, Peter blurts, “I’ll come to you if you tell me to.”

Here we are in the middle of May’s turbulence. What if, like Peter, we decide to go to Jesus even in the waves? What if we choose to believe that the Lord is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea (Psalm 93:4)?

When the waves are high and we’re drowning in our calendars, here are five ways we can find Jesus:

1. Look up.

“When the disciples saw him walking on the water…” (Matthew 14:26).

As we’re scooping buckets of struggle out of our overburdened vessels, we can miss seeing Him. Our self-rescue solutions can find us with our heads down. But when we look up from the middle of our checklists and invite Him into what we’re trying to line up and check off, we’ll discover that He’s been there. He’s already IN all of it, just waiting for us to meet His gaze.

2. Use where you are as a prayer prompt.

“Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.” (Matthew 14:24).

Where we are can become our prayer. If we’re fighting heavy waves and the strong winds keep us from getting where we’re aiming to be, we can use that very moment AS our prayer. We can ask, Lord, show me what I can learn from where you have me right now. At the kitchen sink? “Lord, I’m up to my elbows in things to do, feeling pulled down by the mess of my must’s.” In the car? “Lord, guide my decisions as I navigate this journey. Show me where to turn.” Are you in line to grab one more gift? “Jesus, show me how to spend my time and resources in ways that ring true to the plans you have for me.” Our full moments can be springboards for the prayers that will calm the storm.

3. Listen for His words.

“But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage. I am here!’… ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said” (Matthew 14:27, 29).

He’s inviting us to come to Him. In his response to the disciples, we see a compassionate display of His care and presence: Don’t fear. I’m here. Come. We can step towards Him and know, even in the growing waves, that we are safe to bring each moment of anxiety and fear and overwhelm to Him. Receiving His peace begins with hearing His invitation to come.

4. Take a walk.

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:29).

When we’re spinning and unable to settle, taking a literal walk towards Jesus helps to pull our spirits away from the overwhelm. Yes, it’s busy, and yes, we’re juggling a lot – but when we climb out of the boat, we interrupt the heart-racing and soul-tossing. This simple reset helps us to find a calmer pace with Jesus. When we move our bodies away from the stressors and instead fall into a rhythm with Jesus, our minds slow their nervous spiraling, and our hearts discover greater capacity.

5. Focus on Jesus instead of the waves.

“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?'” (Matthew 14:30-31)

The waves we’re in feel intense and urgent. We are holding a lot, and so much of it is out of our control. But when we’ve been with Jesus, our outlook grows deeper and spans wider. We see what’s in front of us through His peace-filled perspective instead of the world’s scarcity-shrouded mindset. Without Him, we will sink. But when we focus on Him and on His ability to lift us higher, we rise above what threatens to pull us under.

Every one of our wave-filled days can bring Jesus-filled moments. Even in May, we can find and stand inside moments of sacred. When we step out of the boat and find His path of peace, we can walk across our get-through-it seasons. May we hold His gaze.

“If we dwell as far as the farthest oceans, even there His hand will guide us and His strength will support us” (Psalm 139:10, NLT).