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Jesus' Power Caused Fear
Andrea Lende • February 9, 2021
Luke 5:7-8
Jesus’ Power Caused Fear
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Jesus-Power-Caused-Fear-eq50ge
Luke 5:7-8
“They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.”
“But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Jesus operated in the power of God Almighty.
There was so much power in His control that it caused fear in some who saw it.
Simon Peter was in awe of what He saw Jesus do.
We know the story well.
He and his friends were out all night long and caught nothing when the Lord told him to throw out the nets one more time.
Peter obeyed Jesus.
And there were so many fish caught that two boats started to sink.
Immediately Peter fell to his knees.
He felt unworthy.
Peter said that he was too great a sinner to be in the presence of the Lord.
Reading this passage today made me wonder if we all don’t feel this way at times.
It also made me consider the possibility that we may squelch the power of the Lord in our lives when we allow our fears to control us.
Do we prevent the Lord’s power to fully work in our lives because we are afraid?
Something to consider.
Most days we go about our day without notice.
We do the same thing day in and day out.
Nothing of real significance happens.
And then one day, the Lord moves.
He moves the mountains in our lives.
The big ones.
The ones that have held us captive for years.
And we are amazed.
Almost to the point of exasperation.
We can hardly believe it has happened.
And then the feelings of unworthiness appear.
We feel unworthy to receive such attention from the Lord.
Unworthy to receive His miracle.
That life changing miracle.
We fall to our knees and ask God if He’s sure.
We ask Him if He really meant to grant us the miracle.
We find ourselves asking Him if He wants to take it back.
We simply can’t believe it.
Jesus told Peter to not be afraid and He redirected Peter’s life.
We need to take the same advice the Lord gave His disciple.
We can change our response to God’s miracles.
As we align ourselves with God’s will and receive His grace, we set ourselves up for more miracles instead of less.
We can choose to accept the miracles God blesses us with or give the power back to God for Him to use on a different person.
Today I choose to receive the Lord’s miraculous power in my life and follow Him as He leads me in a new direction.
May you find the Lord desires to bless you and lead you in a new direction.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me of Your miracle working power. Thank You for showing me that You move in tremendous ways - sometimes too big for me to fathom. As You lead me in a new direction, I become fearful. Father, please strengthen me so I can move with You. Help me follow Your lead. Help me allow You to guide me into the life You have planned. Do not let me shy away from Your perfect will. Show me more, Lord. Show me more of You. Fill me with Your Wisdom. Thank You for choosing me to be Yours and to worship You. Thank You for watching over and protecting me and the family You have given me. Keep my eyes on You today. Open up my heart to You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, and I have the perfect plan for you, My child.
Response: Help me follow You into all Your glory, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.