March 8th Devotion

God Will Call You Out of the Boat
By Jessica Van Roekel


“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” - Matthew 14:30-31, ESV.

One of my daughters didn’t like it when I declared, “Let’s go on an adventure!” She was five and afraid of getting lost, but we always made it back home. She needed to trust that I knew where I was going and what I was doing. Fear of the unknown can create a feeling of distrust in our hearts. We ask, “What if it doesn’t work out? What if we fail? What if we get lost?”

After the feeding the five thousand, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, but he stayed behind to dismiss the crowds and spend time in prayer. Later that windy night when the boat was a long way from land, Jesus headed toward them walking on the water. This miracle terrified the disciples, but brash and bold Peter asked Jesus to confirm his identity by commanding Peter to get out of the boat and walk to him. So, Jesus did, and Peter stepped out of the boat.

There have been times in my life when I felt the Lord calling me out of the boat and to walk toward him. After my miscarriage, it was to walk the waters of grief. Later, when I was pregnant again, it was to walk the waters of trust. Life is full of adventures, but not every adventure leads us in a straight path. Sometimes they lead us through ravines and along cliffs. The winds of uncertainty and fear and unknowns buffet us, and we lose sight of Jesus.

The Bible has story after story that lays down evidence after evidence of the power of fixing our eyes on the Lord to provide what we need when we need it. Abraham is one of them. God called him to leave his homeland and go to a new land. Abraham went. God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars through his son, Isaac. But then God asked him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. And Abraham did.

Can you imagine the difficulty these two commands created? Yet, Abraham kept his focus on the Lord. He left his homeland and lived a nomad’s life. He climbed the rocky mountain, built an altar, bound his son, and trusted God to provide a burnt offering. This was an adventure that took him to a deeper place of trust and confirmed his belief that God keeps his promises. His hope in God held firm.

When Peter first climbed out of the boat, he kept his eyes on Jesus. Bold Peter walked on water as the wind and waves raged around him. He walked into the storm. He made it to Jesus. But then the wind pierced his laser-beam focus on the Lord and he began to sink. Sometimes God calls us to do something impossible, like walk the road of grief or step into a new calling, and when we focus on the Lord, our steps remain firm.

Sometimes, though, the distractions of the unknowns in new adventures cause us to lose our footing. In these moments, we don’t have to sink because Jesus reaches down to pull us up. Grief can overwhelm us with its waves, and we sink deep into depression. New paths can overwhelm us with the fear of failure, and we sink deep into perfectionism. But when we look up and fix our eyes on Jesus, he enables us to walk through the winds and the waves. He grabs our hand and lifts us up. Our trust in him grows with each wave we walk over. It’s a daily choice to fix our eyes on him.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
What are you facing today? Has God called you to step out of the boat and to walk by faith? The winds might be blowing strong against you, but Jesus is your firm foundation. You might be wondering how this new adventure will turn out, but God is your provider. He is your strength, your joy, and your refuge. Like Peter, we can step out of the boat and face the wind. Like Abraham, we can have faith that God will provide. Set your distractions aside and fix your eyes on Jesus. He is mighty to save.
Posted in

No Comments


Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

10 nations 5th bowl judgment 6th Bowl Anxiety Armageddon Attributes of God Autism Battles Battle Be on Guard Be still Bearing with one another Being Still Bible Blessing God Bowl Judgment #2 Bow Busyness Christmas Comfort Coming of Jesus Contentment Content Courage Crown of righteousness Directing our paths Disappointment Discipleship Earthquakes Easter Encouragement End times Eric Lidell Eternity Evil Exemplary prayer Faith over fear Faith wavers Faithful with Litlle Feeding the Fire Fellowship with God Free Generosity Giants Gideon Giving thanks God at work God in our midst God is working God's Help God's Holiness God's Involvment God's Timing God's Whispers God's call on your life God's delays God's direction God's pleasure God's will Grattitude Guarding our words Hearing from God Heart of Service Heart of the problem Hidden Blessings His Love Hope If Only Incomparable Word Jesus' Kingdom Jesus' return Jesus Lightning Listen for His voice Listening Little by little Living godly Love Loving God's word Moments More Need New Covenant Not Looking back Obstacles One world religion People Persistence in prayer Pour in spirit Power Praise Praising God Pray without ceasing Prayer life Prayer Pray Progress Protection Proverbs Purpose Rainbows Reading the bible Reason Redemption Rejoicing Rock Self-Focus Serviing Setbacks Shepherd Singing Spiritual Vitamins Standing tall Stepping out Still on the throne Striving Thank God Thankfulness The Good News The Prize The Tongue The Word The gift Thunder Time with God Trumpet Two witnesses Vision Waiting patiently Waterfall Weak Weary Soul Wisdom Worry Worship You matter Your race all together antichrist assumptions balancing things best laid plans blessings coming of the Lord continuing in sin daily bible study darkness delight in the word of God delight distractions doubt drinking water endurance everyday faith family breakdown fear forest for the trees godlessness godliness godly life good times grace growing up grumbling hard times hearts towards heaven heat joy kings of the east knowledge lasting Covenant living for Jesus longing for God loving one another make a way mark of the beast miracles missing names of God needing Answers nothing goes right patience peace pleasing God prepared provision rapture relationships running searing seas turned to blood season set example setting out sing unto the Lord sin spend time with Jesus sunburn thanksgiving thanksgivi thought life trusting God two-witnesses unanswered prayers understanding unfulfilled desires waiting walk faithfully walk in the light walk with God walking with God want water to blood waver in prayers weapon white horse willingness word of God world chaos yes to God