Simon Peter: A Rock Moved By God

I don’t know…I think I am released…knowing that God knows what He is doing…knowing that God will fix or mend everything…I will only need to be still & my God will fights for me…I rely on Him, I am dependent on Him, just have faith in Him, in His timing & in His ways…

A New Attitude.

A New Day.

A New Purpose.

A New Life.

In this moment of faith, Peter was walking on water because he had absolutely released himself to the Creator and His power. So keeping our eyes on Christ and staying focused on Him is a basic fundamental of following Him. Nothing is more important than using our Bible, our prayers and even our fears to keep our focus on Him.

Fear – the emotion we feel when we perceive that life is suddenly beyond our control instead of trusting that life is in God’s control.

Despair – the internal sense of loss that causes us to lose heart and hope because circumstances cloud our view of God’s purposes.

Disappointment – the woundedness of soul that results from placing our trust in people who fail us.

Stress – the pressure that comes into our lives when we try to take on life in our own strength.

Life often test us with circumstances that push or stretch us to our limits. When that happens, do we pass the test? Or do we fall back into old habits and defeats? The pattern of having setbacks in life following progress is to be expected.

So much of our living and thinking is rooted in our own predefined expectations. All too often, we fail to realize that God’s ways are not our ways. When we don’t allow God to be God, and when we don’t see our dreams or goals being fulfilled, we are inclined to respond with presumption out of our own bitterness, resentment and anger.

Prayer is not a security blanket for the weak of mind, nor is it the foolish chatter of people who are unable to cope with life. Time spent in the presence of the Father prepares us for challenges that will test our faith in Him – moments we could not handle in own strength.

We underestimate the nature of the situations of life that can overwhelm us in a moment of disaster and our own capacity to betray our Lord in moments of pressure.

We overestimate our own ability, savvy and strength, so that we feel no need for the provision of God’s resources we so desperately require.

Peter was reminding us that coming to Christ is an event, but becoming like Jesus is a journey. Along the way, we will have ups and downs, like Simon Peter, but we can trust in the strength of Christ to enable us to be useful – in spite of our human failings and inadequacies. We can grow in Christ’s grace and knowledge. And we can, in prayer, find His mercy and grace to help us in our own times of need.