Faith or Fear? - Part Two (Walking on Water)

Do we ever look at how bad a situation is to determine if God is able to or is willing to be with us and deliver us? I think many times we do but I have never found a scripture to back up that kind of philosophy. God loves to show Himself strong on our behalf. He is God after all!! For me, one of the most discouraging and encouraging scriptures in the Bible is Matthew 13:58 which says, "Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief."   It is discouraging because the people who knew Jesus best didn’t believe in Him and yet it is encouraging because it compels me to believe…I mean really believe! I don’t want God to NOT do something He was willing to do because I couldn’t seem to muster up enough faith to trust Him. Let’s remember that in Matthew chapter 14, the storm was raging when Peter stepped out of the boat!
When God calls us to do something, don’t let fear (fear of what others may think, fear of failure, etc.) keep us from being obedient. Fear (which is an emotion) and faith (which is an action) can co-exist. Joshua 1:5-9 is where God encourages Joshua to be strong and very courageous.  He tells him this three times in these five verses alone!  That tells me that Joshua was very afraid and needed this encouragement from God in order to do His will.  Sometimes we are afraid but if we say, God, I choose to trust You in spite of my fear...that is faith!  We need to remember that faith is not a feeling but it is an action!  It is how we live our lives.

Is stepping out of our comfort zone worth the risk? Well, if we don’t we can become indifferent to the call. Many times, indifference is a gradual process…’a slow fade’ as the Casting Crowns song puts it. It doesn’t happen overnight, but as we allow ourselves to resist the call…the call becomes more and more faint until it is such a low whisper, it can be easily not heard in our busy lives. If we don’t step out, we become failures because we did nothing when we had the opportunity to do something great. But if we do step out, our faith will grow. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

So let’s look for opportunities to trust God and see what happens!

Faith or Fear? (Walking on Water)

I am writing a series of lessons based on John Ortberg's book, If You Want To Walk On Water, You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat and teaching them on Wednesday nights.  Please read Matthew 14:25-32 about Peter walking on the water to be with Jesus.

Have you ever put your life in someone else’s hands and just hoped for the best? (maybe a doctor or fireman or policeman). You can only hope they are qualified and capable of saving you. Sometimes it is difficult to put so much trust in mere mortals. We are all fallible, are we not? What about putting our trust in God. Is that any easier for us? We must remember that God promises to always be with us. I love Jeremiah 33:1-3 which says,“Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” Jeremiah was in prison when God spoke this to him which tells me that God will meet us wherever we are!

Now, how many times have we waited to do something we knew was God’s desire for us because we thought we needed something more before we could be obedient? When God asks us to do something, He will always equip us to do it. Our part is to trust that He will do His part. Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary. And the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

We see that God promises to be with us and to strengthen us when we are weak, but what about when we fail or go through a difficult season?  Isaiah 43:2-3 tell us,  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior”.  The scripture doesn't say if you pass through the waters, but when you pass through the waters!  We will go through difficult times, but God will be with us in the waters.  When Peter stepped out of the boat, Jesus was right there with him even when his faith failed.  Jesus was there to save him!