High Adventures at Sea

But the disciples, who were now in the middle of the lake, ran into trouble, for their boat was tossed about by the high winds and heavy seas. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the waves!  When the disciples saw him walking on top of the water, they were terrified and screamed, “A ghost!” Then Jesus said, “Be brave and don’t be afraid. I am here!” Peter shouted out, “Lord, if it’s really you, then have me join you on the water!” “Come and join me,” Jesus replied. Matthew 14:24-29

The massive rock rose very high above us as our boat approached the swimming cove. We cajoled each other by sharing past stories of participating in the age-old summer pastime of cliff jumping. As one person after another got out of the boat and swam towards the path to slowly ascend the steep slope, I knew I would never even get out of the boat.

In the well-known, New Testament story of Jesus walking on water, we find the disciples in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at midnight. The boisterous winds and the massive waves are making it hard to see what looked like a ghost walking towards them. They screamed in terror. Yet Jesus kept walking towards them. Jesus then calls out to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

What would have been your response? This is the moment of truth, and you are wearing your faith on your sleeve, do you believe or doubt? Are you about to invite Jesus to come on board, or is your logic screaming out the fact that humans don’t walk on water?

Or are you going to get out of the boat and join Jesus for a walk on the water?

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:28-30

Peter walked on water, what an amazing experience for him. But when he took his eyes off  Jesus and saw the storm, he began to sink. How easy it is to panic at the sight and sounds of the storms of life. But, I want to point out, he was also the only one to get out of the boat.

Here are five things we need to know about getting out of the boat:

1. There is always a reason to get out of the boat. God has called each of us to do many things that may be frightening. The call to write was and still is terrifying to me. Each time I sit to write a devotion, I face the fear of not having the right words, not being able to communicate God’s message intelligently, and not feeling worthy to scribe out His message. I had a perfectly logical reason to stay in the boat, I am not a trained writer. But I wanted the adventure!
2. There are always going to be boisterous winds and big waves. – God has a habit of calling us out on the waters when the situation seems hopeless. It is in our times of trepidation that we are most likely to look to God for help. “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue,” Moses said. God said, “Go! I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:12)
3. The Lord will go with you. – The title of my book is “A Warrior of Hope.” This is the first book in a series of four God has called me to write in the Advent of a Warrior series. I turn to Judges 6:12 and hear the reassuring words I needed to hear, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” None of my writing would be done without HIM. I would still be sitting comfortably in the boat if not having hearkened the call to write.
4. Decisions, decisions, decisions. – We can say no. It would not have seemed like a big deal if I just said, “No thanks, that is not for me. After all, humans can’t walk on water, and readers can’t be writers.” God would not have disowned me or left me with nothing to do. He would have still calmed the winds and made the waves obey Him, keeping me safe in the boat.
5. Don’t miss out on the high adventure of saying yes. – I love being a writer. On one of my websites, I even made my username: Scribe4God. It is a sacred honor to have God help me speak and teach me what to say. I would have missed out on the adventure of a lifetime if I had chosen to stay in the boat.

Those who say yes to God’s call don’t walk the walk perfectly – not by a long shot. But because they say yes to God, they learn and grow even from their failures. And they become part of His actions to redeem the world.   ~John Ortberg

In John Ortberg’s book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, he asks us, “What is your boat?” Your boat represents the thing you find safety and security in. It is your safe place, your comfort zone. It is the place where you sit hesitantly with your insecurities and doubts.

That day on the Lake of the Ozarks, I watched proudly as my son climbed up a steep slope, crept up to the edge of fear, and took the leap of a lifetime. I am so glad he opted for the high adventure of cliff jumping rather than sitting in the boat with Mom. That afternoon, I may have missed an experience to brag about later, but today, I am walking on water with Jesus and scribing my words for Him. Will you join me in the high adventures of walking on water?

Lord, I yearn to yield to your call to come and walk on water with you. I want to experience the high adventures of the great unknown. In oceans deep, my feet will stand. Your sovereign hand will be my guide. I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. My soul will rest in your embrace. I am yours, and you are mine. Amen

(prayer inspired by Oceans – Hillsong UNITED)

Oceans – Hillsong UNITED

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I recently started a new hobby of Bible Journaling. I would love to invite you along on the journey. So today, I have created two opportunities for you to do so.

1. Journal the lyrics of the song Oceans by Hillsong UNITED. I have attached a beautiful piece of printable stationery you can use to write all or part of the lyrics. Due to copyright laws, you will need to click on THIS link and scroll down to get the lyrics. Here is a picture of what I did:

• Bible Journal today’s devotion and Matthew 14:24-29. I have also provided you with the free Bible journaling printables I created to go along with this devotion. Here are two pictures of how I did this:

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I would love to hear back from you and see what you create!