Walking on Water

Discovering the importance of starting your day with a devotional

Matthew 14:22-33 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Hearing the story sounds unrealistic.... Walking on water,,, really...... lets state the obvious here....we can't actually do that!

Isn't that the essence of faith, hoping for what seems impossible?

But this is how many of our lives look today, As soon as our feet touch the ground, after we get out of the bed, we have uncertainty about the state of our nation, our jobs, our family, our health, our finances, our marriages, our bills, our children, the exhaustive list of things to do, and the list goes on.

And very easily if our eyes aren’t on God, we can go from confidence to discouragement, from word to worry, from focus to frustration, because we become distracted by what isn’t working or what might go wrong, instead of trusting the One who is working, and is always right.

My only suggestion, LOOK UP. No really, look up. Practice it, stop what you’re doing, and look up, inhale, exhale, breathe, you are walking on water.

Look down, and be reminded of the winds and waves, the debt, the hopelessness, the frustration, the people that walked away, the ways you’ve been exposed, the grief and sorrow you can’t overcome, the anger you have in your heart, whatever it is... look down and then stop, and look up, at the one who will give you the guidance, the strength, the confidence, the tools, the connections, and the wisdom to walk over it. Look down and drown, or look up and be drawn closer. You choose.

One thing I’ve began doing, is when something hits me like man my car payment is due next week, and I don’t have a job, instead of harboring over it, I literally imagine the word provider hanging over my concern, and I simply say Lord I thank you for being my provider. Its simple, but its transformative.... But let's go deeper.

Maintain a routine of starting your day with a devotional, it gives you a focal point to keep your eyes on, as you step off your boat.

One of the biggest things that has changed for me in this season of my life, especially during quarantine, is my morning routine.

The first hour of my day is all focused on seeking God’s direction for me. If I don’t start with God I’m lost.-(I’m also not currently working, so my morning routine may vary greatly than yours, however, you can choose to get up an hour before you start your work day- being a stay at home teacher, ,jumping into work, supporting your spouse, or whatever that looks like for you)

So if I get up at 8 then I have a full solid hour before I jump into my daily schedule. Only you, can personalize this, according to your needs, only you can show up to your daily appointment with God. I just want to share my general framework.

I always spend the first ten minutes of my day in gratitude. I thank God for as much as I can possibly think about. Sometimes, when we are enduring hard times, our sight is overwhelmed with our worries, But if it's just as simple as, Lord I thank you that I made it to see another day, then start with that, because that very fact is more. than some others even had the opportunity to say thank you f0r.

This is totally optional, but sometimes after I pray, or after I complete my devotional time, I click on an inspirational video on YouTube, and just listen. If this is something that interests you, Above Inspiration has amazing, thought provoking, thematic, and time sensitive videos to get your day going.

Okay, so after I pray, I grab my devotional. My current devotional is Jesus calling by Sarah Young.

I’ve also recommend other devotional in one of my earlier blogs- Thirst Quencher

There are also other devotional apps, and the Bible app also offers countless specific devotionals for every need you may have.

Others also do the soap method based on a verse. And this, is a helpful handout of following this method.

Whatever method you choose, just make sure it’s personal and consistent for you.

I come open minded, and rely on that specific word, and pray that it comes forth in my life. I read the devotional once. Then I read it a second time out loud again, and pause at the words or phrases that stand out to me, and write them down. Then I go to the scriptures at the bottom of the page, and spend time in Gods word. Again I remember those words and phrases that stood out to me, and then see where I can align them to God’s word, and how I can relate or make them real in my life. Then I write down one collective focus point. So in the example above, my focus point was, Be thankful today, even in small things, and unwanted things, for God is in control. Despite how my day is going, this is my anchor.

Then I have two additional times during the day that I check in with those words to see how they are coming alive in my life, or if I am off track, how I can encourage myself through this. This is usually, in the afternoon, and evening. So in the devotional above, the theme was around thanksgiving. So throughout the day, even being reminded about the barriers in my life, I stopped and thanked God for whatever I could possibly think of , even the things that weren't good, I simply would say, thank you for working them for my good. This is the essence of facing your fears with faith. I'm not asking you to quote scriptures all day, I'm asking you to keep your eyes on Jesus in the presence of your flesh and your faith.

I finish in prayer, and spend 15 to 20 minutes just in praise and worship. Still pursuing God’s best for me, but also thanking Him and acknowledging Him in advance for How He will show up, and speak, and lead, during my day. Giving Him full control, and giving Him my attention before anything else.

Some days the Holy Spirit will lead and I just flow with that. I’m not saying come to God with your agenda, I’m saying start your day with a focus point. Some days I’ll wake up with a worship song on my heart, and I start my day in worship, as long as I begin my day with the one who orchestrates the details of it, that’s all that matters.

Now its your turn, its time for you to walk on water, but this time, you have the tools you need, to keep your eyes on Jesus! Walk boldly and with full confidence in the direction He is calling you to.

Gracefully yours,

Lia