At Least Peter Got Out of the Boat!

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Judging others is so easy, just focus on their weaknesses and then self-righteously point out their failings. I know I can tempted by this sin as I focus not on my God, my Lord, and my Jesus, but on my fellow man.

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I look to Peter in the boat during a storm in the middle of the night and I am grateful for his example. Of all the disciples, he was the only one who got out of the boat!  He was a little messy in his leadership, but at least he took action. How many of are frozen in fear and don't get out the boat even when we hear the Lord calling to us, telling us to take that first step of faith?

Peter always seemed to come up wanting (like me), yet still pursuing His Lord. Out of the twelve in that boat, Peter was the only one who got out a perfectly good vessel and asked Jesus help him walk on water in the middle of a storm.  He had his eyes on his God in the flesh, not on the storm.

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Only when Peter diverted his focus from Jesus to the piercing pain from the waves and howling wind, he started to sink. Isn't that like us? As soon as our trial becomes too intense, we can't seem to tear our eyes from it; it consumes our entire lives.  We forget our God. But what did Jesus do with Peter? He had mercy on him, grabbed his hand and lifted him into the boat.  Then Jesus asked him, "Why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:22-23 NIV).

Isn't that just like us?

When I look to God and Jesus, there is NO doubt I come up short.  When I look to my fellow man (even Peter), I quickly point out the speck in their eye while they have to duck to avoid my plank that is about to clobber them (Matt 7:3 NIV)!

Leaders are not perfect, they are obedient to their calling.  I think we can so fervently point to other's weaknesses and then justify our own. I believe this grieves God.  "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 NIV).

We can look to our leaders both in the church (like Peter) and outside the church and condemn them in self-righteousness like a non-believer, and forget Jesus's new commandment, that:

 We love one another.  

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  

By this everyone will know that you are my disciple, 

if you love one another.

(John 13:34b-35 NIV)

I think of Simon Peter, that despite his flaws, Jesus promised to build his church upon him. Peter, who denied Jesus three times during our Lord's darkest hours, sank in the storm waters when he took his eyes off Jesus and then sheepishly acknowledged his love for his Lord publicly not one but three times.

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Are we all like Peter?  

Aren't we all in desperate need of forgiveness and grace that only comes from the cross of Jesus Christ?  

Aren't we all like wicked sinners who are slow to forgive and show love to those who have sinned against us? 

Aren't we all in desperate need to God's love which is only accessed through belief in the shed blood of Jesus Christ?

And don't we need to show that love to others when they (just like us) don't deserve it?

Let us get on our knees, pray to God for one another especially those who have sinned against us and our leaders, and show Christ's love so that the world can see who we really belong to.

We are Christ's children and a great price was paid for us.  We bare the mark of our Redeemer.  We are covered in his blood and washed clean.

Let us keep our focus on God and show love.  And maybe even a little fruit...

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"Don't You Trust Me?" asks God

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"Don't you trust me?"

Those words just pierced my heart.

I was praying crying out to God. I had been praying over and over for the same prayer request and God's response was not to my liking.  I wanted this trial to be over. I was tired. I was weary. I wanted my will to be done, not God's.

I knew in my heart God was not done with the situation that more things had to happen before God answered my prayers. I kept seeing an image of unbaked doughy bread. And I kept hearing from God, "I'm not finished yet, be patient and let my perfect will be done."

Impatiently, I kept repeating the same prayer request, like a child on a long trip, "Are we there YET?"

Then God spoke again to my heart, "Don't you trust Me?"

Ugh.

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God, the creator of the Universe, the all-powerful, almighty, holy, all-knowing, ever-present, not-bound by time, and infinitely wise God, asked me if I trust him.  Nice.  It showed right where my heart was at -- it was not in a good place.

Then I thought about it: God is so infinitely BIG, yet he is concerned with our little punny prayer requests that next month will be water under the bridge and we'll be wailing to him over another thing.  Or at least I will.

Yet, He loves us enough to send his only Son as complete, not in part, but the whole payment for our sins as he died for us so we can be reconciled to a holy and perfect God.  And God has done all of this so he can ignore our comparatively miniscule prayers.


No, that doesn't wash with scripture. Scripture which is truth tell us that:

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God promises to never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).

God promises to work all things out for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28).

God hears our prayers and will answer them in his perfect time not ours (Psalm 27).

God ways are higher than our ways, as the heavens are higher than the earth, as are his ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9).

He is our God (Psalm 48:14).

And yes, all we need to do is trust him, pray, and rest in his sovereignty to work all things out for good.

My response now is, "Yes, God, I trust you."

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Spiritual Short-Term Memory Loss

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As I was praying to God the other morning and pouring out the desires of my heart, I heard him clearly speak to my heart:

“Have I ever withheld anything from you?”

“Haven’t I always provided for you?”

 “Am I not faithful?’

“Don’t I always meet all your needs?”

“Don’t all good things come to pass?”

“Yes, Lord, you alone are God,” was my sole response.

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How often do we do that? We so quickly forget God’s faithfulness, just like Dory in the Pixar Movie, "Finding Nemo." When we are faced with another trial or time of suffering; we panic – we forget God, forget all the awesome things he's done for us in past, and forget that he promises to never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV). 

When our daughter was younger, we would have to remind her of certain truths, i.e. to obey your parents, tell the truth, walk in a manner worthy of God, etc. When she would fall short and we would bring her actions to her, she would say that she “suffered from short-term memory loss.” 

Stifling a belly laugh, we would smile slightly and enlighten her that she in fact did not suffer from the medical condition of short-term memory loss. She just suffered from an affliction we all face, sin, in which the only cure is a Savior, Jesus Christ. We then informed her of her need to confess her sins to God and ask for grace from Jesus Christ which was so freely available on the cross to help her turn from her sins in the future.

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But isn’t that just like us? Don’t we all suffer from “short-term spiritual memory loss?” How quickly we forget our God and his past faithfulness when another faith-testing moment is upon us?  We forget how BIG he is. We fail to recall how omnipotent (all-powerful) and sovereign (all things are under his control) he is?  

Thankfully when we confess our unbelief (or short-term spiritual memory loss), we are forgiven by the shed blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Our sins are then cast into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19). 

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(Sigh) Praise God.  I am forgiven despite all my shortcomings (sins).

Then it struck  me, if God is omnipresent (all-present) -- which he is -- then he has heard my prayers.  I don't have to be anxious about my petitions.  He's heard me and he's got this. 

And if he’s heard my prayers, because he’s omniscient (all-knowing), he’ll answer them in his perfect timing, not mine.   I just need to be patient and wait on God. Again, he's got this.

Therefore, in recompense to his omnipotence, he’ll answer my prayers exceedingly abundantly more than I can ever imagine, because he’s God (Ephesians 3:20). 

Ahh...thank goodness God's in control, not me.   God's best is always so much better than my best.  I just have to trust him. 

Praise God that he is OUR God.

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God is not impatient with us and our progress. Then why are we?

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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23 ESV emphasis added)

Exasperated with my lack of progress on publishing my first book, Deep Waters: Lift Your Gaze, I was praying to God on Sunday for help, wisdom and direction.  I was also feeling frustrated with the process. 

In prayer, I cried out to the Lord with a heavy heart:

“Why is this taking so long?” 

“Why does the process seem so arduous?” 

“Do all pre-published book authors go through these periods of difficulty?”

The Lord then spoke to my heart, “I’m not impatient with the process.” I sighed. 

No, he wasn’t. I was.

He continued, “Everything is happening in my perfect timing. I am sovereign over this, too.”

I smiled.  My heart was lighter.

No matter what or how I try, I can’t truncate the process.  I have to go through the hard times to get to the good fruit of what God is creating in me, a closer depiction of his Son Jesus in me.  He’s looking for my heart to be subtle, to trust Him and to keep my focus on Him.

Lift Your Gaze, my friends.  God’s got this.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23 ESV emphasis added)