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.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
– Matthew 14:27-29
When faced with uncertainty or danger, we find ourselves caught in a choice between fight and flight. Fight against whatever threatens you or flee from it as fast as you can.
There are areas in our lives where God requires us to do the equivalent of jumping off a cliff. It feels that way. Because you can’t see the bottom. You’re not quite sure how things will go and it’s terrifying. So you end up fighting God’s will or trying to flee from it.
We know full well the theory of trusting in God but have we truly experienced the freedom of living it? Do we know what it means to jump off that cliff, unsure of what God will do or where you’ll end up, but jumping anyway because God will be there. Wherever there is. And so long as God’s there, you’re good. He’s got you covered.
In the world, self-preservation may keep you “alive” a little while longer but in the kingdom, it will be the end of you.
The end of you.
Self-preservation says I have to protect myself somehow because I don’t trust God enough with my being. You either trust God or you don’t. There’s no such thing as half-trust. It’s all or nothing.
God wants us to perceive what Daniel’s friends did when they faced Nebuchadnezzar.
Even if the Lord does not save us, He is still God.
He tells you to set sail on an unknown sea….
Remember that He never sends you where He isn’t already waiting. He is the great I AM. He is as much in the present with you as He is in the future waiting for you.
You find yourself in the midst of a raging storm….
Remember that the winds and waves STILL know His name. Humanity often forgets but the rest of creation is very aware of God’s authority and obeys Him.
He allows the storm to continue raging even when you know He has the power to command it to stop….
Remember that even if your boat crashes and all is lost, He can still save your life. Where that boat came from, there’s an eternal supply of more. Does He not have the power to restore and redeem tenfold, a hundredfold?
And should He let you lose your life as you know it? Is eternal life still not yours? Doesn’t eternity count for something?
The world is full of Christians who know God in the light…in the good times…in the easy times. Yet the times and seasons we’re headed into will be full of darkness. The description of the last days is very clear in the Bible. If you look at the state our country and world are in right now, it’s apparent. And there is a desperate need for Christians…sons…who can see their Father’s hand even when it’s completely dark.
Sons operate with spiritual night vision. They don’t need things to go a certain way to see the Father. They’re not relying on the eyes of flesh. They see Him in every situation. They know His heart and mind in every situation.
I can tell you a million times how wonderful it is for you to trust God. I can speak it out of tons of experience. But it will do little for you if you don’t experience it for yourself. Experience will build your relationship and trust in God like no words ever can.
And the only way to get that experience, is to take that scary leap off the cliff.
In what areas has God been asking you to take a leap of faith?
Make the jump today and trust Him to be you Good Shepherd who will always lead you to green pastures…even when they don’t look like much when you first get there. You’d be surprised what He can do with a little faith and a little time.
Mary Kamau 