Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:31

The irony of Matthew 14:31 is striking. Two verses prior, Jesus tells Peter to climb out of a boat and Peter becomes the only man other than Jesus himself to walk on water. Then, Peter shifts his attention. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, he starts to look around at his circumstances. “But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord save me!” – (Matthew 14:30)

Can you identify with his sense of panic? I know I can. Last fall, I left the comfort of being a newlywed with a full-time job and benefits and traded it for being a new mom with a job I wasn’t sure would pay me yet. In August, I launched a Kickstarter campaign and had 9 days left to come up with 2/3 of the money. Most recently, I announced I was hosting a Black Girls with Purpose Conference on faith alone because none of the speakers had transportation and we hadn’t sold any tickets.

Perhaps you too left a well paying job to pursue a God given calling and now you’re being hit with unexpected financial burdens. Maybe you moved to a new town and the first few weeks were exciting but now you’re realizing you don’t know anybody. You may even be in the midst of expanding your family. Initially you felt prepared, but now as you think of all the change this will bring, you’re second guessing. You’ve taken your eyes off God and are starting to sink – back into those old habits, back into depression and fear, back into doubt and disbelief.

Whenever we are met with uncertainty we have two choices.

  1. We can focus on the Father or
  2. We can focus on our fears

Focusing on our fear will keep us frozen and ill equipped to take on our next assignment.  Focusing on the Father, however, allows us to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

Even when it seems like the waves are crashing around you know that God is working things together for your good and His glory. (Romans 8:28) If He’s calling you to climb out of the boat, rest assured He’ll be there to keep you from sinking. Trade your doubt for determination and we’ll all bypass the irony.

Prayer: Dear God, please help me to avoid the temptation to doubt you. I pray my desire to walk on water on a regular basis will refresh my boldness.

Question: When are you most likely to doubt God and how can you avoid those types of situations?

Want to attend the Black Girls with Purpose Conference? There’s still time to purchase tickets! 

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