Get Out of the Boat: Developing Faith Over Fear

I recently attended a worship service where George Jacobus was the guest preacher. He has many years of involvement in the faith community in College Station, so I was excited for the opportunity to hear him speak. The message he shared was from Matthew 14:22-31 where Jesus walks on water, but more importantly, Peter does, too.

As I’ve shared before, this blog is my attempt at Godly obedience, but I’ve allowed months to pass without publishing anything. Why? Well, I got stuck. Stuck on the design aspect. Stuck by the fact I didn’t have a decent photo. Stuck in procrastination, busyness, and second guesses. During those many months, I’ve had moments that pushed me forward. I’ve even taken a few small steps closer to my goal…and then stopped.

Faith over Fear

George’s message, though, reminded me that my time is now. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were terrified (Matthew 14:25-26), but when Jesus called Peter to Him, Peter responded in obedience. Peter walked on the water! He dared to step out of the boat. Yes, he was afraid. In fact, he even started to sink, but Jesus “immediately” took hold of him.

Like the disciples, I can fall easily into fear, but I’ve also been like Peter. I can point to moments in my life, both big and small, where I’ve chosen obedience over fear, and it’s those times that I need to hold close and remember. Because what I don’t want to do is live my life in the boat.

Takeaways:

• Peter had courage because it wasn’t his first “yes” to Jesus. He had been obedient before (Matthew 4:18-20) and experienced God’s faithfulness as a result.

• Calling us “out of the boat” is something God does every day. The question is: Are we listening, and are we willing to live separate from the culture and safety of our status quo?

Today was a “get out of the boat” moment; tomorrow, I’ll have to try again. And I’d encourage you to do the same because the beauty of this life is that each of us is here by design. God created each of us for a unique purpose, and I don’t know about you, but that is the path I want to follow.

Are You Ready to Jump?

We live in a noisy world, and learning to listen isn’t always easy. Too often, my time with the Lord is an item to check off my To-Do list rather than a time of praise, seeking, and reflection. I’m quick to send up a request, but reading His Word expecting to “hear” from Him or simply quieting my mind often escapes me. The good news is that God meets us where we are in all our faults and imperfections.

In this particular journey, I’d say I have my toes hanging over the edge. Now I just need to remind myself of the times I’ve jumped and trusted in God’s faithfulness not to let me fall, even in the moments where I’ve failed.

So with that, I’ll leave you with George’s closing words:

I often come back to the phrase, Watch me! You can read more about that in this post: Watch Me: Learning to Live in Godly Obedience.

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