Walking on Water

Psalm 18:2 ; “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (ESV).

 Over the past few months, I have been on what I will call a “faith-building journey.” Circumstances have arisen that I did not see coming. Storms that have rocked my boat, and I indeed feared I was in a sinking ship. I had two choices; I could trust and confidently walk out onto the water, knowing I would be sustained. Or I could panic and try to control all that was going on around me.

I do not know about you, but I can certainly relate to the apostle Peter. He was passionate, assertive, and also a bit impulsive. He was quick to move without really processing what lay ahead. Act first, ask questions later. Although a strong quality, it also got him into a bit of trouble, like in Matthew 14.

Jesus had been trying to find some solitary time, but the crowds kept following, and he continued to have compassion on the people. He finally had the disciples leave by boat and go ahead of him so he could be by himself to pray. The disciples were in the boat for quite some time when the wind and waves had carried them a reasonable distance.  Around 3 am, the Bible refers to it as the fourth watch; the disciples see someone walking on water and were afraid. Jesus identified himself, and Peter, wanting confirmation, replied, “If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water,” and Jesus said, “Come!” So Peter being Peter, without much thought, and I’ll say a little faith, got out of the boat and started walking on the water.

Can you picture this scene? There is Mr. Impulsive, jumping out of the boat charging against the wind and the waves, and all of a sudden, he stops in his tracks, feels the wind and waves on his face, and thinks, “what have I just done?” and he starts to sink.

I can picture this.   I have had the opportunity to jump out of my boat to walk on water and did so because I believed and had a little faith. However, when what I thought was going to happen did not, and instead the wind picked up and the waves began to crash around me, I began to sink. You see, I stopped looking ahead and instead started looking around at all the pieces around me. I could not see the whole picture, and I began to question what was happening and why. My faith turned to fear, and I faltered.

When we take a step in any given direction because we trust in God, but the circumstances change, what can we do to stay the course confidently?

One action is Pause, not Panic.

I have not become a master of immediately applying this step, but eventually, I get there. I pause and remember what I know to be true. I know I have said this in the past, but it remains a foundational discipline. In those moments where things look and feel uncomfortable, that is when we reach out to our strong tower of stability found in the Word. Psalm 18:2 assures us; “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (ESV). When our faith begins to waver, stop and remember who holds us, so whom, or what shall we fear? Pause, be still and know He IS God.

A second action: Phone a friend.

My financial situation dramatically changed a few months back. As much as I keep reminding myself of Jehovah Jireh, God, the provider, it still weighs heavily on my heart and mind. A potential opportunity arose, and I pursued it wholeheartedly. I reached out to a few friends to pray with me through this possibility. I made it through the first round of interviews into the second round. Then I received the email I was still being considered for this opportunity and made it into the third round of interviews, which included a presentation. As each day passed, my hope and excitement grew. I could see the answer to my financial challenge coming. After eight weeks of building and anticipating, and praying with absolute faith, I received the message on a website no less that I had not been selected. OUCH! All of the relief I had anticipated, along with all the debts that were going to be paid off, had just crushed me with their regained strength.

Through my tears, I sent a text message to my group of prayer warriors. My heart was raw, and I was hurting. The next morning I received a text message back that I want to share with you:

“Good morning. I received your message yesterday but didn’t want to just respond – I wanted to pray. I am so sorry for your continued disappointments. But I know in my heart God has something specific for you. As I prayed, I saw this beautiful flower. I don’t know what type it was, but the Lord showed me it was intended to bear fruit. As beautiful as it was, it was limp and leaning to the side. And as I stood looking at it, I saw the Lord adjusting its position. He was fixing it where it no longer leaned but was propped up with something much stronger to lean on. What caught my eye was the hedge of protection He had placed around it.

I understood my dream/vision of this flower/plant to mean that until this plant is healed and strong enough to bear its intended fruit, God had to provide its strength but also had to cover it from any potential harm – giving no one access to it but Him. He loved that flower so that He didn’t want anything else to disrupt the healing process. You are that flower/plant. God ha you right where He needs you. He is mending and healing old wounds. He is strengthening you while building a solid foundation for all that He has called you to, which is to bear much fruit.

Don’t be disappointed; be overcome with joy. He has you and will not allow anything else to gain access to you until YOU are healed, upright, and ready to bear fruit once again. He loves you that much. He will provide everything you need in the meantime. Trust Him and trust the process. I love you and will be in continued prayer for your breakthroughs.” DR

 Please know, I understand the unfathomable value of this friend. Through her words, the waves of negative thoughts and ideas of giving up were hushed into still waters of hope and joy. God will use the people in your life to bring you where you cannot bring yourself. They are truly gifts from Him.

I have given you two actions that have worked so well for me. You can certainly take more steps, including prayer, fasting, reading the Bible or biblically-based books; all of these are important and powerful.

Whatever action you decide, do not choose to panic. We are promised peace which surpasses all understanding, that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We have to stop looking around at the waves and instead keep our eyes focused and the author and perfector of our faith, and we will be able to walk steadily on water.