Sometimes I have a great idea for a blog post, but I'm just not ready to write it yet. That's exactly what happened with this post. As I was reading the Bible I felt led to make a blog post about Peter walking on water. So, I created a draft, added my thoughts and left it sit for a while.
Lately, I've been struggling, I'm not going to lie. With the turn of the new year reality has set in. We no longer have my regular income stream, cookie orders have slowed down, and bills just keep piling in. I'm being humbled. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder if you're making the right decision for your family, but I know I'm taking the path that God is paving for me. Okay, he's not paving, roughly clearing at most, but definitely not paving. If there was paving involved it would look much like the road that Lightening McQueen made quickly to try and leave Radiator Springs. But, no matter the condition of the path I'm taking (because it's not easy), I'm following God by faith.
That brings me back around to this draft blog post about Peter. As I was looking down through my list of drafts, it was the reminder I needed. So, I'm hoping it will also be a good reminder for you today as well.
(I'm going to be completely transparent here. As I was writing this blog post the message hit me so strong. In fact, at this point I walked away from my computer, went to my room, shut the door and began to pray and cry out to God. I just needed to feel him. So much has been going on and my oldest daughter is on day three of being very sick. After I prayed and cried in my room, I went to my daughter's room, laid my hands on her legs and feet that had been aching with her illness and prayed for her too. Now, I'm not talking about a quiet prayer, I'm talking about a prayer that you can feel in your soul. After I prayed for her, I went to my youngest daughter down in the living room and prayed over her. Last, but certainly not least, I sat down by my husband, grabbed his hand, and prayed hard for him too. I'm ashamed to say that this doesn't happen as often as it should, but tonight my house felt God deep in it's core and it was because I acted on my urge to feel close to God when I knew I needed Him. Every person in my house was touched by God tonight and it was just what we needed. Be bold enough to pray over your family. Chances are they are needing to feel the love of God as well as the love of their mother/wife who cares enough to stop her evening for the Lord to move. Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog post.)
Let me set the general scene for you as if you're Peter. (If you know the story well, you can skip the next paragraph.)
You've just come from the a gathering where over 5000 people joined together to listen to Jesus speak. Then you watched Him feed all of them with five loaves of bread and two fish! You even had 12 baskets of food leftover! There is no doubt this guy is the real deal. Then following Jesus's instructions, you, along with your brother, Andrew, and Philip go down to the sea of Galilee and wait for Jesus in a boat. A terrible storm rolls in. You are all experienced fisherman so you should be able to handle the boat in the storm, however, the wind is horrible, the lake is very turbulent, and your boat is sent away from the shore. Now it's almost dawn and suddenly you see a human figure standing on the water! Not on the shore or wading in the water but literally standing on the lake! You all fear that it's a ghost and tremble with fear, but then you hear Jesus call out, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
What would go through your head as Peter?
I'm not sure I would have said what he said next. “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”
Wait, what? Just saying those words and stepping out onto the water took a lot of faith in Jesus. I relate this to the times when I'm super strong in my faith. I get a good wind behind me and I'm feeling the glory of God, nothing can stop me! Or can it...
Soon Peter feels the wind of the storm and remembers how much danger he could be in. If he falls into the water, will he ever make it out alive? The storm is horrible and they'd been fighting it all night! There I am again, faith wavering. A little trouble comes my way and I start thinking about what I need to do to help myself. I take my eyes off of the Lord and my faith clears as quickly as dense fog when the bright sun hits it in the morning.
Peter cries out to Jesus to save him! Wow. Been there. I'm losing faith, things are going wrong, then I cry out for Jesus to save me and help me through.
Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached out his hand and caught him saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Well, I don't know probably because I thought I was going to die so I immediately freaked out. Guilty.
The funny thing is, Jesus never left Peter. He was standing right there the whole time. Peter knew that Jesus could keep him on top of the water, but he let outside circumstances influence his judgement.
The same is true for you and me (at least me anyway.) I'm strong in my faith, walking with Jesus, when all of the sudden I'm reminded of my storms. I fall to the ground like a three year old melting in "lava" when they touch the floor while Jesus is looking at me like, "Just stand up. You're fine if you just keep your eyes on me and walk with me." Instead I choose to flail on the ground like I'm drowning. Quite the mental picture, I know, but it's so true. It's really that silly.
I'm reminding you (and myself) today to walk faithfully with Jesus. Walk with Him when the winds are quiet and stay with Him when the winds pick up. Do not focus on the water beneath your feet, but lift your eyes to the Lord and take one step at a time.
Praying for faith for all of my free and humble Christians and those not yet saved.
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