“… Peter … walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. …”
(Matthew 14:29–30, NET)
In Matthew’s account when Peter got out of the boat in the middle of the storm to walk toward Jesus all went well at first. Then Peter took his eyes off Jesus and more than just his feet got wet!
There are physical storms in our life similar to what Peter experienced. These have real lightning, thunder, and sometimes tornados. Then there are the metaphorical storms of life. Recently Bruce had an interesting thought regarding our travels to the Northeast this year.
It was last fall that we felt led to head to OH, NY, and ME to help ministries in these areas. It makes little difference why we decided to work at these projects, we just felt led. Perhaps it might have been for selfish reasons in that we had never traveled there. Perhaps it might have been the leading of the Holy Spirit. Or perhaps it was a little of both. But for whatever reason, we felt led to serve there.
Then a few months ago the fuel prices started climbing and have yet to stop. This is a storm that has battered all of us financially. We started to doubt. We took our eyes off Jesus and started seeing the storm, asking the question “Should we continue with this trip?” At one point we were ready to sink like Peter and turn back, not traveling so far. But then we realized that God does not call us to do something without equipping us for the task or journey. If He calls us, He will provide what we need to follow Him.
Oswald Chambers writes: “Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognizing Jesus, maintain complete reliance on Him. If you debate for a second when God has spoken, it is all up. Never begin to say—‘Well, I wonder if He did speak?’ Be reckless immediately, fling it all out on Him.” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, June 18).
We will continue to keep our eyes on Jesus and not let this economic storm divert us. Please continue to pray for our safety and wisdom as we travel on to help these various ministries achieve what they have been called to accomplish. 🤠🤗
This week’s Blessings, Prayer Requests, and Schedule are here.
We’re traveling with our friends and fellow SOWERs
and have found a nice quiet parking lot at an Amish restaurant in Berlin, OH.
