Today’s Devotional – Rising Above the Cares of This World

There’s something about Peter that intrigues me. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s so eager to serve, or perhaps it’s because he’s so personable. I see a man who loves much, but sometimes his heart runs faster than his head. He reminds me of a new convert so full of love for God, while learning to take their first steps.

I’m sure you’ve read the story about Jesus walking on the water, and Peter who stepped out of the boat to meet Him. It’s a good story, with a great message behind it, as we learn that trusting in God is key to rising above the cares of this world.

In Psalm 69 David equates his suffering to that of being overcome by deep water,

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. (Psalm 69:1-2)

Martin Luther once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” I can relate to that thought. When I’m driving on the highway at night I’m a bit apprehensive. I can’t shake the feeling that the road might suddenly drop off or take a sharp turn. And so, there’s an element of faith as I trust in the signs directing my path.

When Peter stepped out of the boat, he stepped out in faith. He was walking on water, until something grabbed his attention and drew his mind away from the Lord.

What was it that grabbed Peter’s attention? The wind.

In Matthew Chapter 7, Jesus talks about a foolish man who built his house on the sand saying,

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:27, NIV)

You see, wind symbolizes adversity, and, if you know anything about adversity, you know that it can either strengthen or weaken you. Any time we choose faith over fear, peace over stress, or joy over disappointment we’re building the resistance muscle that we need to stand strong.

As we learn from the story of Peter in Matthew Chapter 14, the key to overcoming adversity and rising above the cares of this world are two-fold:

1. Like Peter, we need to keep our eyes on the Lord at all times. Problems, difficulties, worries, concerns… they all have a way of distracting us, and so we need to be careful that we’re not so focused on the cares of this world that we lose our focus on God.
2. We need to reach out to the Lord as our source of strength. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee.” And, that’s exactly what Peter did. The moment he started to sink, the Bible tells us that he cried out to the Lord.

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Tilling the Soil

Read Matthew 14:22-34.

Planting Hope

Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me (Psalm 50:15, NIV)

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