In Matthew 14:22-33 we have a very familiar story of Jesus rescuing the disciples in a storm. What I just LOVE about our omniscient God, I just happened up on this one this past Wed. morning (10/9/13) as I was intending to do some study on the Bread Of Life, which was the devotional in Our Daily Bread Devotional.
If I could just paraphrase; the disciples were in trouble far away from land.
A STRONG WIND had hit them and they were fighting HEAVY WINDS! THIS IS FOR ME! I am in a storm with my precious 40 year old son, who so graciously God has allowed me to care for the past years of his life, & as a single parent!
Last week, I fell into OVERWHELM as the wind and waves of sickness hit his body!
In verse 26 of this passage, "in their fear, they cried out, 'it's a ghost!'
We MUST BE so very careful of WHAT WE SPEAK when we are in fear of the unknown!
When we don't realize Jesus is ALREADY THERE! I remember the song, "He was there all the time!" When sickness hits, you see symptoms & hear such bad reports, that take your eyes off of Jesus and His Word! Jesus reassured them that HE WAS THERE!
He is as close as His Word! Rom. 10:8 "The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart: that is the word of faith which we preach!"
It only states that Peter initiated walking on the water by asking Jesus to call him to come. Now, looking in hindsight, HOW LONG have I been hearing Jesus bidding me to 'come closer?' In Mt. 11:28, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Every morning Sara Young bids me to come closer in her devotional, "Jesus Calling." Diane Stortz has gathered us together in profoundly charging us to memorize 52 scriptures from A to Z. The 3rd scripture was this very Mt. 11:28. The 2nd one was Is. 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God!" I can personally learn much more on the (be still) part; however, God is simply showing me that HE IS GOD! In living color!
Being still and resting in God is one of my passions of interest! I want to come closer inspite of distractions. I am perfecting this desire by being accountable to my "Hello Mornings" group who are studying Ephesians. Started with "Hide His Word" in memorizing Eph. 1, but now with this crisis I may be too behind. But God knows.
BACK TO PETER..........when the strong winds and the heavy waves hit him, it practically knocked him out! SO ME! As much Word as I do know, as strong of a regimen I try to engage in, one more time, I about FELL OUT! I know it is shameful after 40 years of facing quite 118:17 a few crisis with my sons life and I KNOW GOD TO BE FAITHFUL!
Jesus simply stated, " You have so little faith!" "Why did you doubt?" Verse 32 says "When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped!" This was the Rhema Word for me, climb back into the boat, don't let the fear paralyze you into not wanting to get back into the saddle! GUESS WHAT? It's not all about this we are going through. God is showing me my real self, and that ugly underlying fear I tend to allow to control me in many areas of my life. AGAIN I am on the attack of this fear that immobilizes me from blogging, telling our story, declaring God's goodness and AGAIN I rise to the occasion in the name of JESUS! AND I WILL be posting on the progressive healing of my son.
