“The other day,” Stan commented one morning, “I got together with a neighbor and he was telling me about how he had gone full circle with his faith walk.”
“Full circle with his faith walk?” I said. “How so?”
“As he tells it,” Stan replied, “it was just like Peter’s walk on the water.”
“Peter’s walk on the water was like full circle faith?” I said. “In what way?”
“Quick recap,” Stan replied. “Peter and the other guys were in a boat. They saw someone walking on the water who looked like Jesus. Peter said to whatever he saw that it if was Jesus He should tell Peter to come to Him walking on the water.”
“Okay,” I said. “And then Peter got out of the boat and walked towards Jesus, right?”
“That’s right,” Stan replied. “But at one point Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, looked at the stormy waves, and began to sink. That’s what my neighbor said happened to him, except he wasn’t walking on water.”
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“My neighbor said he took his eyes off of Jesus,” Stan said, “and he began to sink. He said that everything in his life began to fall apart. Nothing was going well. And then he came full circle, just like Peter.”
“Full circle?”
“Yeah,” Stan replied, “with the story of Peter it says that when he began to sink, he cried out to Jesus and Jesus took his hand. Again, that’s what happened with my neighbor.”
“He took his eyes off of Jesus, was sinking, cried out to Him, and Jesus took his hand,” I said. Is that it?”
“That’s it,” Stan replied. “And it seems to me that each one of us, if we take our eyes off of Jesus it’s likely we will begin to sink. And the best remedy for that is to cry out to Jesus and let Him take us by the hand. He will help us get rid of that sinking feeling!”
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Bible verses to consider:
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:28-31.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your provision of life with you through the cross of Christ. Thank you I can know that I will spend eternity in your presence when it’s time, as well has having an ever-deepening relationship with you and Jesus while you keep me on this side of eternity. I confess that too often I take my eyes off of you with the result that I begin to sink into the mire of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Please forgive that foolishness. Please help me in always crying out to you so you will take me by the hand and draw me to you. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you cried out to Jesus in the sense of accepting the finished work of His cross so you know you will spend eternity in God’s presence when it’s time? If no, why have you not done that? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, have you ever taken your eyes off of God so that you began to sink? If so, what was that all about? Were you able to cry out to God and have Him take you by the hand? Are you as close to God right now as He has available for you? Do you need to cry out to Him and have Him take you by the hand? He will if you ask.
Waiting for the Train 