August 27, 2020

Today’s reading Matthew 14:22-36

Last time I got to share with you we started talking about the role Jesus plays in the “storms of life” in particular the storms of perfection, the storms that come even when I’m doing the will of God.
Day 1 He brought me here (verse 22)
Day 2 He is praying for me (verse 23)
Day 3 He will come to me (verse 25)

-Day 4 He will help me grow (verse 31)-
This was the whole purpose of their storm, and ours too for that matter. Jesus would one day leave and these disciples would face many “storms” in their own ministries. They had to learn to trust Him even though He wasn’t present with them.
Now we center our attention on Peter personally. Before we criticize Peter and him sinking let’s applaud him for his demonstration of incredible faith to get out of the boat in the first place. What caused Peter to sink? That strong faith that helped him get out of the boat started to waver a bit when he saw the circumstances around him. Jesus asks him why did you doubt?When I looked up this word doubt I found out that it meant “standing uncertainly at two ways” Peter started out with great faith but ended up with little faith because he saw two ways instead of one.
This experience was difficult for Peter, but it helped him grow in his knowledge of himself and the Lord. He realized his faith wasn’t as strong as he thought. He realized even more that Jesus was there and would help. Storms of life are not easy but often they are necessary. They teach us to trust Jesus alone, to obey His word no matter the circumstances. I’m not sure who coined this phrase but I think it fits as we end today “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence”

Frank Newsome