Renew your strength, do not stop
Matthew 14: 22-26 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other shore, while he dismissed the crowd. Fired the crowd, went up the mountain to pray separately; and when night came, he was there alone. And now the boat was in the middle of the sea, lashed by the waves; because the wind was contrary. They continue with the story: But at the fourth vigil of the night, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. And the disciples, seeing him walk on the sea, were troubled, saying: !! A ghost! And they cried out in fear.
Dear brothers of Steemchurch fear is the first reaction we have in the face of adversity. We fear the future and fear produces doubts, leads us to false conclusions and makes bad decisions. They saw a ghost that really was Jesus. Adverse circumstances make us oversize problems. When Jesus saw their anguish they were reassured and immediately Peter recognized the voice. That is why we must tune our ears to recognize the voice of God.
The Word shows three elements: encouragement, identification and support so that the fear disappears. These three elements are those that help us to redeem our forces when we lose them by fear. There are two types of exhaustion, physical and spiritual. In the case of the disciples, they did feel anguish for the storm but what affected them the most was the false possibility of encountering a ghost. They were anguished by something that was not real, it was a spiritual exhaustion. To begin to restore ourselves, the first thing is to gain courage and hope. Seek the faith to see bad things as good. The second step is to turn to see the right person. When He said "it's me," Peter immediately set his sights on Jesus and the adversities went to a secondary plane. The fear begins to disappear when a goal is set that regains the spirit.
Verse 28 says: Then Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be you, command me to come to you on the water.
That is called being a good opportunist. Peter tried to make a deal with the Lord. He negotiated to show him what he needed. The same thing happens now. When in the middle of a tribulation we seek to negotiate with God it is because our longings begin to regain strength.
Verse 30 tells about Peter: But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me!
Fear manifested twice. The first before trying and the second when I had my feet on the water. When starting a business, you can feel fear before doing it and also when you take the first step and make decisions based on the immediate circumstances.
Verse 31 explains what Jesus did: At once Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "Man of little faith! Why did you doubt?
Pedro was exhausted, had all the strength to start but did not have the strength to finish. He needed an extra push and asked for help when he felt it sink. If now you feel anguish for some circumstance and you have water at your ankles, do not wait to ask for help. If Pedro waits until the water reaches his mouth, he could not scream. Put aside your pride and tell the Lord: "Today I need you more than ever. I took the step of faith that you indicated to me, I am walking on the water, I started this company, but now that I am in the middle, I feel that the water reaches my neck. "
New forces
Renewing our strengths is a process. We saw in the word that we should look for God who is the redeemer, that is, he "does it again" and buys what was lost. When Jesus offers to redeem us he is buying us with His blood and also offers to buy back those things that we lost. In the Word it says that we must understand and have mercy for Jesus Christ, because He died so that our spirit would not decay and we would not lose heart. Returning to the first spirit is something that we can achieve only with the help of God.
Jesus did not have a protective attitude with Peter. His attitude was to take him by the hand and let him walk on his own back to the boat. God lets us taste success when he gives it to us. Glory and honor are for Him but satisfaction is ours.
We all need to renew our strength, as if we were filling the gas tank. Having the Lord in our hearts is a source of power, authority and redemption for our forces.
In Isaiah 40:27 O Jacob or Israel how can they say that the Lord does not see their tribulations and does not proceed with righteousness.
God is pending even from our tribulations and adversities. Jesus saw Peter and knew that he was a man sinking for lack of faith, but he also saw the elements that influenced: the wind and the tide that did not stop. God reveals to us that he has empathy with us, understands us and helps us overcome everything. He never faints or faints. Isaiah gives the example of an almighty God who created to the ends of the earth and who is attentive to everything. In verse 29 he says: He gives strength to the weary and weary and vigor to the weak.
The Lord can give you new courage. Jesus Christ is the redeemer of our forces. The word says that even young men are out of breath and young men give up but those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. He also says that they will ascend with wings like eagles, they will run and they will not get tired, they will walk and they will not get tired.
The wings of the eagle are sustained in such a way that they fly and do not tire. The birds and the airplanes fly by the principle of sustentation that is achieved by the resistance to the air. If it did not resist, there would be no friction against the wings and they would not be able to fly. That is, adverse situations allow you to fly. Toma is the principle of sustentation to improve your life. All the adverse things will be used to take you to a better level.
Do not stop
Psalm 92:10 says: But you will increase my strength like those of the buffalo; I will be anointed with fresh oil.
We have the example of two animals with an extraordinary capacity. The buffalo draws strength when it feels cornered. Your greatest energy is deployed when you are in trouble. He is the number one enemy of the lions and the only one who can give him a fight because he has a lot of strength.
This characteristic caught my attention because we are like donkeys that stubborn, nobody makes them walk. On the contrary, the buffalo does not like to stop, so they put a yoke that forces him to stop. If you want to renew your emotional strength, do not stop. It is different to renew physical forces that require rest.
Imagine that Peter had decided to stop and not ask for help, he surely sinks, but Jesus says "come to me all those who are tired". We must go where He is. God can renew the strength of our soul and tell us to extend our wings because He will lift us up. It is not worth resigning and leaving the task without concluding.
Unconditional support
Psalm 46: 1 says: God is our refuge and strength, Our help in times of trouble.
Jesus never let Peter swallow water. He did not have to resuscitate him, he just took her hand and helped him. We have an almighty God, creator of the heavens and the earth that has everything and everything.
Isaiah 41: 10 continues to promise: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, because I am your God that I make you effort; I will always help you, I will always support you with the right hand of my justice.
If the Lord said it, he sure will. Everything starts accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. If you do not have someone to trust, if you feel alone and helpless, it is because you do not know the almighty God, who can accompany and help you in the midst of adversity. He has the power and the authority to sustain anything however adverse it may be.
Let us make a confession of faith and tell him as Isaiah: "I will not fear." Remember your fears and discard them. Face fear and tell it in your face that it does not scare you because Jesus is with you. When you face fear and abandon yourself in His arms, He sustains you and says: "Do not be discouraged because I am your God who will give you effort and I will always help you".
@lorennys I loved your post. Jesus our pastor guides us in the turbulent waters of our life, with his death and resurrection the payment for our sins. Today I published a special article related to the sea and the oceans since today the World Day Oceans is celebrated. Best regards
There are two types of fear, one good and the other very bad, the good is the one that we must have God.
The bad is the one that paralyzes us and allows us to go ahead and confront the adversities and as you mentioned in your publication they do see the problems with a greater magnitude than it is, thanks for sharing such a beautiful publication.
Good post @lorenys fear is inevitable in the human being, to the point of paralyzing the dreams and destiny of people, but our God has promised us to move forward with him and accompany us in every situation. The bible tells us: "In the world you will have affliction, but trust, I have overcome the world" Thank you for sharing this beautiful message.