Devotion 4


Matthew 14: 28 - 31

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him...

Even though I was born in 1953, I only know this story, because of reading about the life of Florence Chadwick.

Back in the 1950's one of the earliest sports they showed on T.V. was the swimmer, Florence Chadwick's  who was attempting to swim twenty-one miles across the San Pedro Channel from Santa Catalina Island to the California coast. After fifteen hours and fifty-five minutes in the water, and at the last valiantly coping with a dense fog, she asked to be taken aboard the boat that was accompanying her. The sad part of it was that she was only one mile from shore.
   
Florence had already swam the English Channel in both directions, and later she swam the California channel successfully, but when she was interviewed in later years by the press, it wasn't her successes she talked about.  It was that one failure.
   
She said, "When I swam the English Channel, I reached a point when I had gone as far as humanly possible.  But my father, in the attendant boat, shouted, 'Land ahead!' And so I swam on. But in California I let the fog lick me.  It dimmed my faith, I gave up."
   
Whenever I go back and  read this article I think about when my own path has seem fogbound, and I have let troubles, false statements and stories against me, and problems stop me from doing what I know God called me to do. I have got back in the boat of my own self pity, instead of staying in the water and walking to Jesus who was waiting to grab my hand, and lift me back up.
 
But Praise God, I remember the story of Florence Chadwick and then I renew the faith to push on forward.  For my Father God is beside me, leading me on with His loving encouragement, saying,"Land Ahead."
 
So today, if you see Jesus ahead and need to get out of your boat of pity, low self-esteem, discouragement, failure, unforgiveness, or whatever your boat of bondage maybe, step out into the water, do it now. Please know that Jesus is there to help you walk on the water by faith.  And if you start to slip beneath the waves, He will be there to reach His hand out to you and lift you back up to the safety of His arms.
   
(Isaiah 41:10) says, " Fear thou not; For I am with thee...I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee...)
   
Father God, I thank you that through the fog, Lord, do you lead me, and I will follow one step at a time.
 
Written By: Pastor Pat Aman
Notes From: The Life of Florence Chadwick
Study Notes: The New King James Bible
  • Blessing, Love and Prayers,
    • Pastor Pat
    Devotion Written By: Pastor Pat Aman  Book © 1996/2009 "Coffee With Pat Daily Devotionals"
     
     

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