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Why Do You Doubt?
Andrea Lende • April 28, 2021
Matthew 14:29-31
Why Did You Doubt?
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Why-Do-You-Doubt-evr66n
Matthew 14:29-31
“He said, Come! So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and he came toward Jesus.”
“But when he perceived the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!”
“Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Jesus was walking on the water through the storm to His beloved disciples.
He had been praying on the bank of a mountain by Himself, so He was full of God’s Spirit.
He needed to fill Himself back up because He had just preached to the thousands and fed them with just five loaves and two fish.
But now His disciples needed Him.
They were caught in a storm.
Their boat was being tossed about by the waves and the strong gusts of wind.
He walked calmly and powerfully through this storm to get to them.
Peter saw His strength and wanted to be like His Master.
He called to Jesus and asked Him to give him the same power to walk on water.
Jesus granted his request and told him to come.
Peter obeyed and started walking on the water toward Jesus.
But as soon as he left the boat and was walking on top of the water, he felt the danger of the strong wind.
He became frightened.
And instead of walking in power and strength, he shrunk away from it and began to sink.
Our passage says Jesus instantly reached out to Peter and caught him.
This is such a beautiful demonstration of how I interact with the Lord.
I call out to Him and ask Him for the strength and power to do something.
He gives it to me.
And just about the time I’m operating in His power, I become frightened.
I shrink back into my own humanness.
The power is gone.
And yet, He is still there to catch me and hold me up.
In His mercy and grace, He catches me when I fall.
What would happen if I would just move through the fear?
What could the Lord do through me if I wouldn’t shrink away?
Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?”
Why do we doubt?
I cannot say for sure, but I do believe if I could continue through and past my fears the Lord would be able to do amazing things.
Today I choose to believe the Lord’s power and strength is in me and He will lead and guide me to serve Him in a mighty way.
May you find the Lord is working in you to bring you into a place of strength and power in Him.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me You are Almighty. Thank You for showing me Your power is within me. Thank You for convicting me of shrinking away from operating in Your strength and power. Forgive my unbelief. Increase my faith in You, Lord. Replace my fears with Your strength. Help me move past my own fears and insecurities into an unshakeable faith in You. I can do all things through You and Your mighty power. Strengthen me in every way, Lord. Help me do everything You have for me to do. Help me believe I am worthy to be used by You. May Your will be done. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, and My power is within you, My child.
Response: Help me access Your power and increase my faith in You, Almighty God and Father.
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.