Jumping Ship

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. ( Matthew 14:27-29 NIV)

Beautiful One, did you know that there is a space called "doubt" when we move from our past to our future? Moving from what "was", to what "is" can be a difficult transition. That five-letter word, doubt, can creep in and cause a lot of turmoil in our lives.

In Hebrews 11:1, it is written that "...faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." But how is it that when we try to walk by faith, the things that we see are the things we think have all the substance?

Beautiful One, faith is not faith until it is challenged. If nothing ever challenges you or brings a question mark to mind, then it is nothing more than blind faith. How will we know what our faith is made of unless doubt shows up and shakes it to the core?

Life has a way of just happening. Things that you never imagine, happen! 

These unwanted issues are a fact of life. None of us is spared. As sure as we draw breath, we will experience a double-edged sword of faith and fear operating as one and piercing our lives.

The good news is, even if fear is present, our faith can be bigger than our fear. The not so good news is, in order for our faith to rise to the occasion, we are going to have to exercise it. Exercise is not fun at first, especially if were not used to it. It takes time and practice before we see the desired result burst forth. Just as exercise takes perseverance and action, so does our faith. There is hard work and sweat involved. The question is: Are we going to stick with it, even when we don't feel like it? At some point,  we're going to have to look fear square in the eye and say, "I may see, feel, and hear you, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to do whatever it takes to stare you down . . .regardless of how feels.

Wouldn't it be nice if all went smoothly, and we got to feel good about everything? But, that that doesn't usually happen. In a perfect world, great. In this one? Sorry. We each have to walk the plank of doubt, realizing that we only overcome by taking risks in the sea of uncertainty.

Beautiful One, twelve disciples were sent out by Jesus on a boat in the middle of the night. They had just spent time watching him perform miracles and learning lessons about faith. In the fourth watch of the night, here comes Jesus to meet them; walking on the water. Now I can be honest and tell you, my reaction might be similar to that of the disciples; with fear they responded, "It's a ghost."  The Lord shows up, but in a form they didn't expect or recognize, until the last minute.

God knew something about this night that the disciples were about to learn themselves. Things don't always look like you think they should, and neither does God. Sometimes he tarries and comes at the end of a crisis, not at the beginning when we want Him!

Jesus looked at his friends and said, "Fear not, it is I." Peter, upon hearing Jesus, stands up while others remained silent and still and said, "Lord, bid me to come."

Beautiful One, doubt can be the very catalyst to launching us into a deep and abiding faith. For how will we ever know unless we have tried? Failure is not our enemy; doing nothing is. If we don't understand that it is OK to get out of the boat of familiarity and step out onto the unknown, then truly, how will ever know what awaits us?

The beautiful thing about this night is that Peter did something that didn't make any sense and was way out of his comfort zone. But that didn't stop him. He saw the Lord and moved towards him. I'm sure as his foot left that boat, he heard doubt say, "You're going down!" But it didn't matter, he did it, afraid anyway. Fear and faith, both at work, but faith won!

And he did something that no one else has ever done before. . .he walked on water. Peter acted in faith despite how it looked and felt. Peter also had a moment where he then saw the natural more than the spiritual and that's when he started to sink. Jesus saved His boy and carried him back to the boat. Does that negate the fact that he acted with a pure heart and a sincere desire to believe? No, it doesn't!

Not for Peter, and not for you and me.

Beautiful One, having faith does not mean that their is an absence of doubt and fear. Doubt and fear are not your enemies. When handled properly, they are a gift to show you what is hidden beneath the surface. They will show you which voice you listen to. They will allow you to see all the residual unbelief that hinders you, so that you may get rid of it. 

Faith is not just knowing God can, but trusting that He will if He chooses. Faith is believing in your heart even while your mind may doubt. Take the adversity of trials and uncertainties and use them to work for, you not against you. The greater your trouble, the greater your God and His triumph!

Beautiful One, just believe. When it's time to let go and let God, go ahead and jump ship!