Daily Reading: Matthew 14
Scripture Focus: He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:29-30
Devotional Thought: One of the most incredible, fantastic miracles of Jesus is recorded in Matthew 14, when Jesus walked on the water. The disciples reacted appropriately… they were terrified! Even his closest followers had difficulty understanding who exactly Jesus was, and when he revealed himself in ways like this, they always reacted with great fear: “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (Matthew 8:27).
This encounter between Jesus and Peter is personal. Peter, determined to walk out in faith when it made absolutely no sense at all to him, takes his first steps to Jesus on the water. Because of Jesus’ great power and Peter's own faith in that power, he is able to do this. Then we see reality sinking in, as Peter looks around and his fear starts to overcome his faith. This was an impossibility after all, and Peter becomes afraid as the wind starts to blow, and then starts to sink. He calls out to the Lord to save him, and Jesus immediately reaches out his hand to take hold of him.
I love this passage for so many reasons. First, we too are called to walk out in faith in seemingly impossible situations. And then, like Peter, we tend to shrink back in fear as the storms of life start to blow around us. As our fear overwhelms our faith, we must cry out to Jesus for help. And, just as he did for Peter, he will immediately reach out his hand to take hold of us. How are we to respond to this display of love and absolute power? Just like Peter and the rest of the disciples, we worship our Savior, the all-powerful Son of God.
Jenny
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to keep our eyes on you at all times. It is when we lose sight of you and who you are that we start to sink in life’s storms. Give us the strength to walk the path that you have laid out for us.
Psalm of the Day: 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (Psalms 84:8-12)
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