“The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock. I take refuge in Him! He’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety.” Psalm 18:2
How many of you believe that? How many of you know that? You know the promise that He is who He says He is, you know it is true, you know His word won’t return void, and you know that He is the firm foundation on which you can stand.
But how many times have you found yourself in uncertainty, and doubt, and convincing yourself that God will never accomplish the task that He has asked you to do. How many times have you found yourself putting too much weight into that uncertainty, and doubt? Too many times, that is me.
I am going to do it! I am about to walk on water!
It is almost like Peter wanting to walk on water. They are in the middle of a storm, and technically they were safe in the boat (struggling but safe), and Peter tells Jesus to call him out of the boat to walk on water. And He does, and Peter steps out of the boat.
Honestly, I bet that moment, that first step was pretty easy. Jesus said “Come”, and he was going to do it with full confidence. He knew the wind and the waves were there but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Jesus said to come. I actually bet it was pretty exciting. Because, let us be real, when God calls us to do something, a lot of times at first it is really exciting.
I am going to do it! I am about to walk on water!
But then “reality” sets in. Peter is walking on water in the middle of a storm, when the storm could drown him. And the reality decreased his faith. Seeing the strength of the wind and the waves, caused him to take his eyes off of Jesus. The situation affected his faith, and fear caused him to begin to sink.
What do you do when you are walking on water, in the middle of the wind and the waves?
I am no stranger to storms. I’m not. We were in Puerto Rico when Maria hit. We were on my parents boat when this monster storm came over as we were quickly trying to make it to safety. These weren’t a passing summer shower or an afternoon thunderstorm that passes as quickly as it started.
My reality was the storms were bad. The storms caused destruction, and I was not oblivious to the fact that the storms could harm us. And sometimes life is like this. You are stuck in uncertainty, there are mountains, and hurdles surrounding you, and you don’t know how or if God will be faithful.
Let me share this piece of gold that I found in scripture today.
Do you believe that?
Famous last words
See. Now.
I love those 2 words in verse 39. See. Now. Because those words can be applied in any of our uncertain circumstances today.
See. Now.
I really do love the word “see”. And this isn’t the first time it’s used in scripture.
ra’ah. And it is used a lot in the Old Testament. Like over 1000 times.
To see. Look at. Inspect. Perceive. Consider. Have vision.
It also means to cause to see. To be seen. To present oneself. to appear. Behold. Stand in awe and be amazed.
Gen. 1:4 God saw that the light was good. (also in 1:9. 10, 12, 18, 21, in response to seeing creation was good)
Gen 3:6 Eve saw that the tree was beautiful.
Gen 22:13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
This word seems to hold the meaning that you really see what you are looking at. It is not just a passing gaze. You look at it with the intention of really knowing something. What you see catches your attention.
In your circumstances, do we “see now” as God wants us to?
What boat have you stepped out of? And what are your current wind and waves? Disappointment? Discouragement? Fear? Doubt? Disbelief? What is uncertain in your life? What hurdles are you facing, or tunnel can you not see the light at the end of?
God says “See now.”
See that He is faithful, even though you can’t see the road ahead.
Now, see that He is good, even in the middle of the storm.
See, now that His word will not return void.
Now, see and know that He is HE.
See now that there is no other God before Him.
Now, see that no one can be taken from His hand.
And then, when you walk fully knowing that He is God. keeping your eyes on Him, you will walk through uncertainties like you are walking on solid ground, just as Peter began to walk on water because you can firmly stand on the Solid Rock. You will know that the things that come against you have no weight compared to the favor that is on your life, and that you can never be taken from the protection of His mighty hand.
