To See Him Walking on the Sea
Dennis and I read this devotion the other night in Oswald Chamber's book "My Utmost for His Highest".
This devotion spoke exactly what I had been feeling in previous weeks. So often I have identified with Peter and his desire to express his faith in the Lord by stepping out of the boat and walking to Jesus on the water. All is fine while Peter keeps his eyes on the Lord, but when he begins to look at the storm around him, he becomes fearful, begins to sink and then drown in the turmoil. The lesson is clear, we do not need to be anxious, fearful or confused in any situation because Christ is there "walking on the sea" with us. We need to remain obedient in all circumstances; "moment-by-moment" so that when hard times do come, we won't become overwhelmed.
I was anything but "calm, faithful, and unconfused" when dealing with Dennis' job change four years ago, amid our financial struggles these past several years, with different stages of Dennis' cancer treatment, and even just these past weeks with homeschooling, as well as at various times throughout my Christian life when I find myself stepping into the same area of sin again.
Like Peter, it is my greatest desire to follow Christ with my whole heart and to acknowledge Him in all my ways. But too often I take my eyes off of Christ and look at my difficult circumstances, the people around me, or I focus on the fact that my expectations and desires are not being met. The end result is that I become disconnected with the Lord and things begin to fall apart.
Our Pastor shared on Sunday that being a Christian doesn't mean life is going to be easier. In fact, it means it's going to be harder. When we're living only for our selfish desires, it's easy. We're not worried about having integrity, being patient and kind to others, showing respect, working through marriage difficulties or teaching our children to do the same. But when we decide to follow Christ, we then have a standard to follow. God desires us to be obedient in all the daily mundane things in our life so that when the really hard things come, we can still follow Christ.
So as a new storm had been building in my life over the past several weeks, I realized once again that I had stopped being obedient and keeping my focus on Christ Himself. I was looking too far ahead and at others around me and wallowing in the fact that my expectations weren't being met. But once I began to put my focus back where it belonged, I was able to navigate the difficulties with patience, kindness and wisdom. They haven't completely gone away, but by being obedient to God's purpose for me and my home, I am learning to walk in the storm.
So I step out in faith again - seeking to fulfill God's purpose for my life.
God's Purpose or Mine?
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. . . Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to the great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish - His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. . . Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to the great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish - His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
This devotion spoke exactly what I had been feeling in previous weeks. So often I have identified with Peter and his desire to express his faith in the Lord by stepping out of the boat and walking to Jesus on the water. All is fine while Peter keeps his eyes on the Lord, but when he begins to look at the storm around him, he becomes fearful, begins to sink and then drown in the turmoil. The lesson is clear, we do not need to be anxious, fearful or confused in any situation because Christ is there "walking on the sea" with us. We need to remain obedient in all circumstances; "moment-by-moment" so that when hard times do come, we won't become overwhelmed.
I was anything but "calm, faithful, and unconfused" when dealing with Dennis' job change four years ago, amid our financial struggles these past several years, with different stages of Dennis' cancer treatment, and even just these past weeks with homeschooling, as well as at various times throughout my Christian life when I find myself stepping into the same area of sin again.
Like Peter, it is my greatest desire to follow Christ with my whole heart and to acknowledge Him in all my ways. But too often I take my eyes off of Christ and look at my difficult circumstances, the people around me, or I focus on the fact that my expectations and desires are not being met. The end result is that I become disconnected with the Lord and things begin to fall apart.
Our Pastor shared on Sunday that being a Christian doesn't mean life is going to be easier. In fact, it means it's going to be harder. When we're living only for our selfish desires, it's easy. We're not worried about having integrity, being patient and kind to others, showing respect, working through marriage difficulties or teaching our children to do the same. But when we decide to follow Christ, we then have a standard to follow. God desires us to be obedient in all the daily mundane things in our life so that when the really hard things come, we can still follow Christ.
So as a new storm had been building in my life over the past several weeks, I realized once again that I had stopped being obedient and keeping my focus on Christ Himself. I was looking too far ahead and at others around me and wallowing in the fact that my expectations weren't being met. But once I began to put my focus back where it belonged, I was able to navigate the difficulties with patience, kindness and wisdom. They haven't completely gone away, but by being obedient to God's purpose for me and my home, I am learning to walk in the storm.
So I step out in faith again - seeking to fulfill God's purpose for my life.
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