"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Matthew 14:27
Prayer and Feasting Day 11
I love pondering this verse. It is a part of a great passage about Peter's focus while walking on the water Here's the entire passage - Matthew 14:27-22
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.'”
Consider what happened when Peter put all his focus on God instead of himself or his circumstances. When he did, he was courageous, full of faith, promise and he walked on water! That is a miracle to us. When Peter focused on the weather, he immediately became afraid. He doubted, and his focus was broken.
The challenge, (which is do-able by the way), is to shift our focus. Shift our thoughts away from ourselves and our circumstances and surrender to God. The more we turn to Him and meditate upon His Word, the less we “exalt the problem”. Per Strong’s Concordance, Hebrew for meditate is “hagab” which means to “moan, growl, mutter, muse, utter, meditate, devise, plot, speak roar or to groan”. That’s a lot of action and indicates this may take a little work on our part! But think of the benefits….
So try this….. Choose to worship God and not your problem. Choose to magnify God and not your concerns. Choose to exalt God above your cares and then rest and watch God lift the weight of heaviness from off of your life. Any crisis you have is more about you and God than it is about the crisis itself. It is your relationship with Him that is key and He wants your heart. You have the choice to either meditate and focus on Him and His Word- or on the things of this world. You can see how that affected Peter. You can choose to worship God or worship your worries. Choose to worship Christ.
Psalm 105:4- Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
(Adapted in part from a devotional by Vance K. Jackson)
Theme of Prayer for today - Courage
Prayer -"Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes things require a great deal of courage. I need that. I am asking for your Holy Spirit to be released in my life to be a person of courage in living my faith, being a friend, and sharing my faith. May I have the courage to simply start meeting more people and actually loving them. Lord give me the strength an opportunity to be a blessing in my actions and with my words. In Jesus' name - Amen"