“And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to you on the water.’ And He said, ‘Come.’” Matthew 14:28
Dear Ones:
The Apostle Peter and Gideon, of the Old Testament, had something in common. Both being faced with “storms” of one nature or another, needed to be certain that God was speaking to them, for only by Him could the impossibility be surmounted. Gideon would request of the Lord, “Show me a sign that You are talking with me.” (Judges 6:17) Peter, in the midst of the storm at sea, would say to Jesus who was walking on the water: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you.” The power and authority of the word of God to each of these men would reside in the discernment of WHO it was who was addressing them. That knowledge would bring them face to face with a choice, not only to believe, but to act.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, and spoke to her of living water, she was very interested. As the conversation continued between them, the Lord Jesus spoke to her of her misguided seeking of satisfaction and security, for she had been married numerous times, and at present was living with another man. He would address her need to know what true worship was, as her ideas were skewed by culture and false concepts. With all of these needs being addressed, it will be only when she truly realizes WHO He is, that all will change. He will declare to her, “I that speak unto you am He (the Messiah).” (Jn. 4:26) The knowledge of Who He was will move her to confess Him before men, “…is not this the Christ?”(v.29) Her choice to believe was based upon the true knowledge, recognition, and conviction that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
True faith involves always a choice, a commitment based on a conviction. That conviction is based on the truth, the fact, of who Christ WAS, IS, and evermore SHALL BE. All becomes possible at that moment, for there is the willingness to respond to the commandment, however “impossible ” it may seem. The believer KNOWS that with the commandment comes the power and authority of God. This is seen as Peter walks on water, and Gideon with three hundred men, will defeat an entire enemy army. It is the same for us. The question becomes to us individually: Is Christ to me the Lord, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace? If so, then all is provided for us in Christ to deliberately choose to follow Him, wherever He may lead.
Father, teach us Thy ways. Open our eyes to see Thee, and Thy Son, clearly. Strengthen our hearts to take Thee as our sufficiency for every need, in every circumstance. Then we shall KNOW the reality of the rock beneath our feet, and Your strength in our limbs and hearts…given by Thee for Thy purposes, for Thy glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad