Mat 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
John Bunyan said that Peter did have a little faith, even in the midst of his doubts.
In spite of crying out in fear, it was by getting out of the boat and walking that he got to Jesus.
In this passage of Scripture, we see that Peter’s sight was actually a hindrance.
Once he had stepped out of the boat, the waves were none of his business.
His only concern should have been the path of light shining across the darkness from Christ Himself.
Even the glow of a kingdom ten times brighter than that of ancient Egypt should not have diverted Peter’s eyes.
When the Lord calls you to come across the water, step out with confidence and joy.
And never glance away from Him for even a moment.
You will not prevail by measuring the waves...
Or grow strong by gauging the wind.
Attempting to survey the danger may actually cause you to fall before it.
Pausing at the difficulties will result in the waves breaking over your head.
Lift up [your] eyes to the hills and go forward.
Psalm 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
There is no other way.
Do you fear to launch away?
Faith lets go to swim!
Never will He let you go;
It’s by trusting you will know Fellowship with Him.
Frequently we pray that God would not forsake
us in the hour of trial and temptation...
But we
too much forget that we have need to
use this prayer at all times.
There is no moment of our life, however holy in which we can do
without His constant upholding.
Whether in light or in
darkness, in communion or in temptation...we alike need the
prayer, "Do not forsake me, O Lord!" "Hold me up and I shall be
safe!"
A little child, while learning to walk always
needs the parent's aid.
The ship left by the navigator drifts at once from her course.
We cannot do without continuous aid from God!
Let this be your prayer every day:
Do not forsake me, O Lord!
Do not be far
from me, O my God!
Father, do not forsake Your child...lest he fall by
the hand of the enemy.
Shepherd, do not forsake Your lamb...lest he wander
from the safety of the fold.
Great Gardener, do not forsake Your tender
plant...lest it wither and die!
Do not forsake me now, O Lord!
And do not forsake
me at any moment of my life.
Do not forsake me in my joys...lest they absorb my
heart.
Do not forsake me in my sorrows...lest I murmur
against You.
Do not forsake me...for without You I am weak, but with You
I am strong.
Do not forsake me...for my path is dangerous and full of
snares.
Do not forsake me...for I
cannot travel without Your guidance.
The hen does not forsake her chicks.
O Lord, give me refuge under Your wings.
Do not be far from me, O Lord, for trouble is near and
there is none to help.
Do not forsake
me, O Lord!
Do not be far from me, O God of
my salvation!
~Charles Spurgeon~
1Ch 5:22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
Warrior, fighting under the banner of the Lord Jesus,
observe this verse with holy joy...
For as it was in the days of old so
is it now, if the war be of God the victory is sure.
The sons of Reuben,
and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh could barely muster
five and forty thousand fighting men...
And yet in their war with the
Hagarites, they slew "men, an hundred thousand," for they cried to God
in the battle...
And He was entreated of them, because they put their
trust in Him.
The Lord saveth not by many nor by few...
It is ours to go forth in
Jehovah's name if we be but a handful of men, for the Lord of Hosts is
with us for our Captain.
They did not neglect buckler, and sword, and
bow, neither did they place their trust in these weapons...
We must use
all fitting means, but our confidence must rest in the Lord alone, for
He is the sword and the shield of His people.
The great reason of their
extraordinary success lay in the fact that "the war was of God."
Beloved, in fighting with sin without and within, with error doctrinal
or practical, with spiritual wickedness in high places or low places,
with devils and the devil's allies, you are waging Jehovah's war...
And
unless He himself can be worsted, you need not fear defeat.
Fear not before superior numbers...
Shrink not from difficulties or
impossibilities...
Flinch not at wounds or death...
Smite with the two-edged
sword of the Spirit, and the slain shall lie in heaps.
The battle is
the Lord's and He will deliver His enemies into our hands.
With
steadfast foot, strong hand, dauntless heart, and flaming zeal, rush to
the conflict, and the hosts of evil shall fly like chaff before the
gale.
Stand up! stand up for Jesus! The strife will not be long;
One day the noise of battle, The next the victor's song:
To him that overcometh, A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory Shall reign eternally.
~Charles Spurgeon~
