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Your Chance to Walk on Water
April Motl
“And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them,
walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were
terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’
“And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke
to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’
“Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water.’
“And He said, ‘Come!’ And Peter got out of the boat, and
walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
“But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning
to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
“Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of
him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’" Matthew 14:25-31
The waves crashed, the wind howled and the disciples
worried! A few precious
insights give me great encouragement from this passage.
First, in the midst of
the storm the disciples failed to recognize Jesus.
I think that sometimes, like the disciples, I can also
fail to perceive His presence comforting and guiding me in the middle of hard
circumstances.
Secondly, they responded in fear to Jesus because they didn’t recognize
Him.
How many times have you responded in fear because you
could not decipher what God was accomplishing in a difficult experience?
I frequently respond just like those 12 men!
When life is hard and I can’t make sense of it, I
sometimes pull back from God in guarded distrust.
This is not only incredibly unhealthy spiritually, but He
has never once deserved my doubt!
Thirdly, in the middle of the storm, it just might be your
chance to walk on water!
It was while those waves crashed and the wind whipped
furiously that Jesus invited Peter out for the adventure of a lifetime!
What a rush -- walking on water!
Maybe God is inviting you to walk on the very same waves
that threatened to overturn your “boat” in life.
Lastly, if (and when) we
take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the troubles around us, Peter exemplified
just what we need to do: call out for Him!
God will reach in to fish us out and set us safely back in
the boat.
Wherever you might be in the process this story describes,
may you not miss your opportunity to walk over the waves and may you not miss
the presence of Jesus, right there beside you today!
Looking for more encouragement in your walk with God?
Check out Walking with Jesus 101: One Hundred
and One Days of Devotionals to Strengthen your Walk with God
April Motl is a pastor’s wife who loves to laugh, loves her man,
loves to talk on the phone entirely too long and most of all, loves her Lord.
Collaborating with the efforts of her husband Eric, the two of them share a
ministry dedicated to bringing God’s Word into the everyday lives of married
couples, men and women. April has been privileged through her own church and
ministry outside her local body to share God's Word with women ranging in ages
and stages, across denominations, and walks of life. April is a graduate from
Southern California Seminary and has written for Just Between Us Magazine,
Dayspring's (In)courage, and The Secret Place and also writes regularly for
crosswalk.com, iBelieve.com and Women's Ministry Tools. For more information,
visit Motl Ministries at: www.MotlMinistries.com
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