Kidzablaze Devotions

Matthew 14:22-32

22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.

23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.

26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ``It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ``Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

28 Peter said to Him, ``Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

29 And He said, ``Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ``Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ``You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.

God wants to do far more in believers’ lives and through their witness than many actually believe. That is, we know He can do great things, but we may not be sure He will do them for us.

Wavering between faith and doubt makes for a tired Christian. If we want our fears calmed, we must first decide to act out of obedience rather than make choices according to our feelings. Peter walked on water because he chose to proceed by trust instead of by reason. Likewise, for our faith to strengthen, we must recognize that believing God is a choice.

A second action of a faithful believer is to concentrate on God. Otherwise, when we look at our circumstances, we’re restricted to our own limited view of the situation. Peter’s feet stayed on the water’s surface as long as he was staring at Jesus. But the moment he focused on the wind’s violence, he began to sink.

Finally, a good way to maintain our focus on the Lord is by keeping our mind in the Word. Scripture will remind us of God’s faithfulness and help us overcome worries in those moments when it would be easy to lose sight of the truth.

Choose to believe that the Lord will work on your behalf (Isaiah 64:4), and focus on Him. He will help you as He has promised—and will honor your steadfast faith.