Song of the Day
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United
Scripture to reflect upon
- Matt 14:24-33,
- Col 1:27,
- Jer 29:11-13,
- Luke 17:5,
- Ps 143:10,
- Rom 8:14,
Devotional thought
Imagine being in the boat with the Disciples and seeing Jesus walking on the water! That would have been terrifying and mind-blowingly exciting all at the same time, but I don’t know if I would have responded like Peter did.
Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.”
Matt 14:28
Don’t get me wrong, I love his passion and the way he trusts Jesus by saying this, but I am not sure I would have wanted to test God like that. Nevertheless, Peter did say that, Jesus did command Peter to get out of the boat and walk to Him, to which Peter obeyed! Peter got out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus, on WATER!!
I think so many of us always focus on the fact that Jesus walked on water (which is amazing in and of itself), but I wonder when the last time was that someone referenced Peter walking on water! How did he do that? Faith! He believed Jesus (evidenced by his obedience to get out of the boat) and trusted in Him. What caused him to sink? Doubt! He became afraid when he seen the wind and the waves.
There are times in our lives when we will have to get out of the “boat” and trust the Lord. Starting a new job, showing love to our spouse when they don’t deserve it, following the steps to sobriety when it will result in us losing so-called friends, signing up to serve in a ministry that we feel inadequate to be in, etc. These are just some of the ways we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and trust in Him, even as we see the effects of the “wind” around us that seems to be fighting against our progress. We have to stay focused, stand firm in our faith, and call upon our God to increase our faith as we follow Him!
Jesus asks Peter a question that haunts me at times, “Why did you doubt?” (see Matt 14:31)! I think we start doubting when we limit our thinking to our own abilities instead of remaining focused on Jesus and His unlimited ability to save us at all times! When Peter began falling he cried out, “Lord, save me!”, to which Jesus immediately reached out His hand and pulled him out of the water. We need to remember that God is able to deliver us no matter how big of a problem we think we have! He is calling us out into the waters of faith, and asking us to trust Him each step we take, so let’s go! Let’s choose to trust Him and follow Him wherever He leads us!
Prayer
Oh God, I so appreciate Your guidance through this life. I do not want to become complacent in my faith! I want to be going deeper in my walk with You. I want to experience new things in this life as I trust in You. Please forgive me for being stuck in my own limitations and not seeking Your limitless abilities to guide me into new ministry opportunities! Increase my faith Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
