Last year I published my two volume book, This is The Way, Walk in It, based on
Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or the left you will hear a voice behind
you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” It is a compendium of
essays on how to walk with and in the Lord. I have since been writing and
posting on my blog www.greatisgodsfaithfulness.com
many essays that I would categorize as how to “Keep Walking.” This is the
admonition to stand firm and keep walking in God’s strength and ways. It is to trust in Him with all your heart and
He will direct your paths Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us. But are you just walking the
same old worn path of security and familiarity? In this world that seems to
indeed be falling apart are you finding it more comfortable to stay on your own
known route? Well, I think God may be calling us to do more, to rise higher, to
take a risk and join Him where He is working.
Last Sunday my pastor preached from the familiar passage
Matthew 14:22-33 of Jesus walking on water. But we heard it differently this
time.
“Immediately
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other
side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he
went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there
alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by
the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went
out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him
walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried
out in fear.
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.”9 “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.”
This
is one of the key passages in Scripture about taking action. Once I took
fleshly action and walked on white-hot coals as part of a Tony Robbins seminar.
He had inspired us that we could do anything we wanted. I did it with a friend
and now am amazed as I read of many being burned doing the same. But this was
not about “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12). Often I have heard of
Peter in his impulsive manner getting out of the boat to go to Jesus. The
sermon reminded us of how often we have also heard that Peter failed when he
saw the waves. He also was the only one who got out of the boat. He not only
did not fall into the water; or swim, but he walked on the water. This is a
miracle of physics and courage. This is the courage that we should have as
believers to “take a risk” to follow God wherever He is going. Pretty scary
stuff to follow God like the 12 disciples did originally. But to this He calls
and equips us.
Our
sermon clearly pointed out the wind and the waves of life. Yes, the perils of
life will always be there to trip us up and take us down. They did Peter as
well. When he saw the waves he started to sink. In other words, when he took
his eyes off Jesus he started to sink. There it is, the key to walking on
water. Yes, Philippians 4:12 is correct,
it is by the power of the Spirit of God in us that we can do anything. “To them God has chosen to make known
among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). By
His power that is at work within us, we can do anything. My Pastor calls this a
“faith-based leap” or walk.
We
must turn to “Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or
imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians
3:20). There is no other way by which we should walk and keep walking.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.