Thursday 13 Aug 2020

August 13: Matthew 14:31-33

Key Verse: Matthew 14:32
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

Devotion:
A few things had to happen before Jesus calmed the wind which was making life more difficult for the disciples. The first was they had to recognise Jesus for who He is, not as some sort of ghost or unknown entity, but as Jesus Christ the Son of God, friend of sinners and friend of ours!

Then Jesus had to ask Peter to do something, not just anything but something special which would take courage. Peter had never walked on water, but because He saw Jesus doing it, He wanted to do the same and wanted God to allow Him to do that! But Peter had to want it more than the fear he had inside him… He had to take that first step out of the boat!

Then Peter had to rely on God to continue allowing Him to walk on the water. As soon as we see the impossible or see something we think is too hard to bear or do, we give in and we fall just as Peter did. It is going to be hard and we may well be asked to do something which you think is not natural – but as long as you are listening to God, it is possible!

Then Peter, after He doubted, had to reassert his faith by calling out to Christ and allowing Him to save him once again. The call was real and it came from the heart. Jesus answer was real and it too came from the heart as He put out His hand to grab hold of Peter and bring Him up out of the impossible once again.

Only then did Jesus calm the wind. Not when they were scared the first time, or the elation which followed. Not when they were scared the second time or the elation which followed again. But when they finally rested in God’s power through Christ, He was able to calm the storm for them...

Points to Ponder:
Has God asked you to do something difficult?

Are you ready to finally put your entire faith and trust in Him?