Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.”
“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
I was praying and asking Jesus what He wanted done, today. He took me to the words, below, which I found as I was reading “My Bible/Your Version” on my phone.
Encouraging Truths to Remember When Life Gets Hard
Choose Faithover Fear
“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:27 NIV
Think about the disciples hanging out with Jesus on a boat when a life-threatening storm erupts on the water. They’re unprepared to face it and, panicking, realize they might die. The entire time this is happening, Jesus is sleeping peacefully.
Instead of looking at Jesus’ reaction to their situation, the disciples allowed their situation to dictate their reactions.
Think about the disciples hanging out with Jesus on a boat when a life-threatening storm erupts on the water. They’re unprepared to face it and, panicking, realize they might die. The entire time this is happening, Jesus is sleeping peacefully.
Instead of looking at Jesus’ reaction to their situation, the disciples allowed their situation to dictate their reactions.
After begging Jesus to do something, He calms the storm… But not before asking them, “Why are you afraid?”
His gentle rebuke over their lack of faith wasn’t because they didn’t believe Jesus could save them from the storm, but because they struggled to believe He would see them through it.
When we find ourselves in storms we can’t control, how do we respond with faith? Here are three encouraging truths to remember
1. God has power over every storm. If the wind and waves don’t concern Him, then they shouldn’t frighten you. You might not be able to change your situation, but you can choose to faithfully trust God in the middle of it.
2. Fixing your eyes on Jesus leads to peace. Are you looking at the size of the storm, or turning towards the One who can calm it? It’s only by focusing on God, who knows every outcome, that you can navigate any situation with His wisdom and peace.
3. Jesus is always in your boat. It’s easy to focus on your fears when you can’t control your future. But thankfully, Jesus knows your future, and He’s always by your side. And, He calls you to live by faith, not by sight.
Whenever you find yourself overwhelmed by life, you always have two choices: you can focus on your circumstances, or fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you choose to look to Jesus above everything else, you will begin to see that the storms you face are not nearly as powerful as the Savior choosing to walk through the storm alongside you.
I remember telling myself yesterday, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, Susan” as the news starting covering the Coronavirus, all the deaths that it has caused, the promising medications, and the state of our economy. Peace followed, as I imagined Jesus, and I began to think about His Words.
God’s wants you to be very causious, and follow the CDC guidelines. When you are doning all you know to do concerning the Coronavirus, lean into Jesus, because He is walking right beside you through this outbreak of death and disease.
Psalms 31:9 – O’ Lord have mercy on me in my anguish.
Psalms 147:3 – He heals the broken heartened, binding up their wounds.
Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
John 14:27 – I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart!
I pray that God’s steadfast love would comfort you according to His promise in Psalm 119:76, “May your unfailing love be my comfort according to your promise to your servant.” I pray that you would remember to contemplate His faithfulness and His care for you, during this storm. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We thank You, Jesus for Your promise that although we have sorrow now, we will one day see You, and our heart will rejoice, and no one will take our joy from us. (John 16:22). Amen.
Praise Report – Answered Prayer
I prayed a quick, short prayer yesterday morning. I ask my husband to join me, but he was frustrated about the whole unemployment situation, and so he said, “No!” The prayer was, “Jesus please help my husband’s unemployment forms be accepted online.” When he tried to file them again, online, the site crashed again.
Sometime, yesterday, He found out that FedEx had the unemployment forms and free FedEx shipping to Florida’s unemployment office. He went to the FedEx office this morning, filled out the form, and FedEx sent it off. His forms are filed! Praise God!
The unemployment site in Florida crashes when you try to apply online line, over and over again, you just can’t get through. Our Governor was warned two years ago about the bad problems with this site, and he put fixing the problems, on the back burner.
I am thinking of you during these uncertain times, and I’m praying that you find strength in the Lord and His never-ending supply of love.
In † Christion Love, Susan Osten
