GodandMe2theMax

You Wanna Trade?

"You wanna trade?"

How many times do you remember looking at your friend's chips or better yet Swiss Cake Roll over the lunch table compared to the piece of fruit your mom sent you with? How many times did you say those exact words to your friend, knowing what they had was definitely more compatible with your longings? I can remember a lot of times, and if you grew up sitting around the lunch table with friends, you probably can, too. Sometimes we had to be quite covert to get the job done, because I can remember that we had "No Trading" rules, even in elementary school...and that was a very long time ago!

So I've had a rough couple days emotionally. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that I felt like some of my dreams came crashing in, never to be restored. I've poured buckets of tears, and I'm not usually a big cry-baby like that. Pretty much, things weren't going like I wanted them to, so I decided to have a big pity party for myself. Of course, in the moment, I didn't realize that's what I was doing, but in reality, it was exactly that.

When I woke up this morning, the Lord reminded me of Nehemiah 8:10. The end of the verse says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Then I started humming the words to the song, I'm Trading My Sorrows. If you don't know it, it goes something like this...

I'm trading my sorrows. I'm trading my shame. I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord.
I'm trading my sickness. I'm trading my pain. I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord.
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, YES! Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, YES!
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, YES, AMEN!
I am pressed but not crushed, persecuted not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.
I am blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure
And His joy's gonna be my strength.
Though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes with the morning...

I started to think about that song as I hummed it, and I realized, yes, God may give His joy in the morning, but I have to choose to trade what I've got for His joy. I've got to make a conscious effort to glance over at what God has and ask Him to trade with me.

Remember that feeling when you asked your friend if they wanted to trade something in your lunch, and they said, "No way, that's my favorite!" Yeah, I remember it. What a let-down after my salivary glands had already started to water, thinking about how good that swiss cake roll my friend had was gonna taste in comparison to my orange. But the cool thing about God is that He never does that. He will gladly take our bad life's fruit, our tears, sorrows and pain. He will take whatever nasty things we have to offer and replace them with joy. I've just gotta ask and actually make the trade.

So this morning, I can say that joy came in the morning. No, things haven't necessarily changed in my situation, but I have changed. My perspective has changed. I've traded a few things for joy.

When's the last time you asked God "Do You wanna trade?" Think about it. I know He'll selflessly trade joy for all of your life's bad fruit. "Though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes in the morning. Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, YES! AMEN!"

 

--- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

Big Hands

Have you ever compared hands with someone, maybe a basketball player, and said, "Man! You have big hands!" Sometimes I will comment, "Those are piano playing hands!" Then I put my hand up to theirs and compare. Not for any specific reason. Just to see how small my hands are compared to theirs.

Now think about it. How big are God's hands?

This morning I was reading in Psalm 37:23 "If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." God's hands are definitely big enough to guide me down the right path, if I'm on the right path to begin with! When I read this verse, I think of a walking with my son or daughter when they were little. Now, we were never a big 'hiking' family, but there were times when we would walk down dirt paths, full of stones and uneven ground. My natural instinct would be to put my hand behind my child to help guide them and keep them steady on the rough terrain. That's what my God promises to do. He upholds us with His hand. I just have to be sure I'm on the path He wants me to be on. You see, it's a conditional statement. IF He delights in our way, He will uphold us.

We all probably know that old kid's song, "He's got the whole world in His hands." Now that's some pretty big hands, too, don't you think?

Isaiah has some great references to God's hands, as well. Isaiah 40:12 "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighted the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?" OK, I'm no scientist, and I have not even one clue on how to figure out how much water is on the earth. And that's ok, because my almighty God does know, and he can measure it all in his hand!

Then finally, I love the visual picture of our image being tattooed on the palm of God's hands. Isaiah 49:16 says, "See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands." Top that one, Miami Ink! Can you even imagine that?

God has such a tender way of reminding me that He is always near. He is omnipotent. And He can do much more than the little box I sometimes put Him in. When I fall and stumble, His hand upholds me. When I think the problem is so big that there's no way out, I'm reminded that His power doesn't end! And when I think I'm forgotten, I'm really not. I'm right there, tattoed on His hand.

Life is hard. Living the Christian life with diligence is hard. These truths about God are something we know with our head knowledge, but we often choose to forget them in our heart. We choose to worry and take the burden on ourselves. God has big hands. He has piano hands. He has basketball hands. Surely, with hands that big, He can handle our little problems.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

Stressed out 'cuz there's No Room in the Inn...

Psalm 94:19   "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Busy.  It's the story of my life.  It's the life story of probably most of the people reading this.  I often find myself so busy I can't prioritize things.  I find myself juggling the urgency of the immediate with putting out fires here and there, never with enough hours in the day to do everything I really need to do.  Lack of planning?  Maybe.  Overcommitted?  Probably.  Stressed beyond words?  Definitely.

Somehow over the last few weeks, I made a serious miscalculation of priorities.  I never found the time or energy to make my hotel reservations for Wednesday evening near the airport in Dallas.  You see, my flight was leaving early Thursday morning, and although I don't live that far from the airport, my colleague I was traveling with lives quite a bit further away.  The flight was to leave at 5:45 Thursday morning, so we really needed to have a hotel closer to the airport.

The plan was simple.  Get off work at 5:00 PM.  Pack for the upcoming trip to Baltimore.  Make a quick hotel reservation, eat dinner, and leave by 6:30 Wednesday evening for worship team practice.  My friend was going to meet me at church after practice, and off we'd go to the airport hotel.  Good plan, right?  Sure, in a perfect world, it was.  Unfortunately, I miscalculated quite a few things.  I got off work around 5:30 PM, leaving plenty of things still to do.  I then went to book the hotel.  Anytime I've had to get a hotel near the airport, I've always stayed at the Hyatt, right at DFW airport.  They always have good travel agent rates, and it's the obvious choice. 

"I'm sorry, we're sold out tonight.  Do you want me to transfer you to the Four Seasons?"  Um.  Easy answer on that one.   "No, thanks."  I hung up the phone and expanded my search.  No big deal.  I made another call.  And another.  And another.  And another.  And another.  I thnk you get the idea.  Apparently the storm that rumbled through the area earlier in the day caused quite a few cancelled flights.  There must have been some big meeting in town, too, because an affordable hotel room was no where to be found.  Panic began to sink in.  I still needed to pack, and it was quickly becoming apparent that I was running out of time. 

Frantic, I gave up on finding a hotel and started to throw things in my suitcase.  I may be the travel agent in the family, but my sweet husband Frank came to the rescue to pinch hit for me.  He stayed on the phone for another thirty minutes while I tied up the rest of the loose ends in preparation for the trip.  It was past time for me to leave for practice, and I still didn't have a hotel. 

"Just give up," I told him.  I had already decided to have my colleague just stay at our house for the night.  We'll just have to get up at 2 AM, that's all.  I was so discouraged, and the stress of the week had about taken me over.  The white flag was on the pole, and I was raising it up quickly.  "Just let me try one more," he said.  It took a few minutes, but Frank's persistence paid off.  He found a hotel room for us, granted, it was fifteen minutes south of the airport and about $30 more than I wanted to pay, but it was a room, nonetheless.

You know, I love how God works.  He always comes through, in spite of me.  I'm so glad that He doesn't adopt the phrase "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on My part."  OK, truth be told, sometimes He probably does.  Sometimes we have to learn from our mistakes.  But I'm grateful at least this time, He did not enforce that lack of planning comment.  If He did, I'd be a goner for sure. 

I don't know about you, but when things don't go as I plan, I get discouraged.  Maybe in this case I should say, when I don't plan for things appropriately, I get discouraged.  Either way, the stress of the situation left me downtrodden and exhausted before I even began my trip.  I made it through worship team practice (quite hungry, I might add, since I never even had time to eat that dinner I had planned).  We got to the hotel around 10:30 PM.  As I sat in bed that night with my mind racing, I tried to evaluate how I could have done things differently.  I let my mind wander, and all I could think of us how my God once again saved the day, proving Himself faithful, in spite of my ignorance. 

Look at the verse to memorize for the week.  Psalm 94:19   "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

If there's one thing I've learned in recent years, it's to look for God in life's situations.  So many times we think God is there for us on Sundays, and that's where He stays.  We forget that when things go wrong through the week, He's right there, ready to console us.  We just need to turn to Him.  And when we do, He turns our anxiety into joy. 

I make a habit each night of praying myself to sleep.  Granted, sometimes it doesn't take long, considering I can usually fall asleep within minutes, but it gives me the opportunity to just talk to God about everything that happened through the day.  It gives me the opportunity to reflect.  And it gives me the opportunity to find the joy that only He can provide.

As you memorize the verse with me this week, let's also try to put it into practice.  Let's allow God to console our spirit and bring joy into our lives, despite anxious circumstances.  Even when there's 'no room in the inn...

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Be Still and Know I am God...

Psalm 46:10  "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth."

Last week was one of the roughest ones I've had in a while.  My husband has been in Africa for nearly two weeks, and on Thursday, we found out that God had closed a door that until that point seemed wide open.  God didn't just close it, He locked it and seemingly threw away the key.  Honestly, I was pretty devastated.  I found myself desperately crying, even arguing with God.  By the time my tears had run dry, I found myself re-reading my own blog from last week.  I told God He had a real sense of humor, because the sample prayer I wrote needed to be re-iterated in real time as I poured out my heart to my Father.  Emotionally, I was spent before the day began on Thursday.  I had a lot of questions for God, none of which He answered directly, except to say to me, "Be still, and know that I am God.  I have a plan.  Just have faith."

As I have prayed about what verse to memorize this week, Psalm 46:10 is the only verse God has given me peace about.  If you're like me, you may  already have the first part of the verse memorized, but you likely have not memorized the entire verse. 

Let's take a look at it a little more deeply. 

"Be still."  This is a command, and it comes from a root word rapha, which means to be weak, to let go, or to release.  Maybe a better translation might be "cause yourself to let go" or "let yourself become weak."  Ok, God, I get it.  Let go.  Let go of my wishes and desires.  Quit trying to be strong and handle things on your own.  I release it to You.

Notice the second directive in the verse - know.  How still should we be?  We should be so still that we should surrender to the point that we know God is in control.  God is God.  God is God in the good times, and He is God in the rough times.  We need to "give up, become weak, let go, and release" so that we can fully rely on God's strength and power. 

The next two parts of the verse are a promise.  You know we can rest fully in God that He is in control, but the end result is the topping on the cake.  He will be the victor of the things of this world.  His Kingdom will be established on the earth, and He will be exalted.  Did you get that?  HE WILL BE EXALTED!!!  It doesn't matter what things don't go the way we want them to here on earth.  My God is the King Supreme!  In this battle of sin here on earth, He has already won the battle, and He is coming back to reign here on earth.

You know, when you put it in perspective, my "BIG PROBLEMS" are not problems at all to God.  He clearly knows the outcome of every situation.  He has a plan, and although I can't always see it in "real time" it doesn't matter.  My job right now is just to be still, and know that He is God. 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Come and Listen... Psalm 66:16

Psalm 66:16  "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me."

Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is more than you can bear?  How will I ever make it through?  Why aren't my prayers being answered?  Why am I going through this?  When is this trial going to be over?  If you're honest, you've probably been there.  Maybe you're there now.

But sometimes we need the reminder to look back.  Look back at what God has done in our lives.  Look back at how He's proved Himself faithful over and over again.  Then we need to tell others about His faithfulness, even in spite of what we're going through now. 

Read Psalm 66.  David makes a plea.  "Come and listen, all you who fear God let me tell you what He has done for me."  Then David talks about going through trials, being refined with fire and water.  He likens it to God sending him to prison with burdens on his back.  But in the end, David praises God.  He knows God is in control and has his best interests at heart. 

Yes, as Christians, our mind knows these spiritual facts that David knew, too.  No brainer, right?  God is in control.  He'll carry us through.  Yet, sometimes our emotions and heart hurt and overtake that reasoning side of our brain.  Let's take a lesson from David this week.  Let's follow his example to tell others about God's faithfulness, in spite of rough times in a current situation.  Thank God today for His refining fire!

Psalm 66

Come and listen, everyone
Come and hear all that God has done.
The trials He’s brought, they’ve not been fun.
The process is long.  His job’s never done.

But He’s teaching me that through the fire
Is exactly how to increase my desire
To know Him more. Now that’s my goal.
Refine me Lord, make me whole.

You’re testing me.  Like silver and gold.
Through pressure, the way diamonds are formed.
These burdens - they bring me to my knees
I’m trusting You, God, help me, please.

You let me go through water and fire.
My will to You, Lord, I will retire
You keep me in life, Each day you give
Abundant life.  For you I’ll live.

Abundant peace.  Abundant love. 
Abundant contentment from God above.
Abundant joy.  Your hand I see.
You’ve not withheld Your love from me.

Heart ablaze, burning for You
Water and fire, You carry me through
Come and listen, everyone.
Come and hear all that God has done.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

I've got this...

Psalm 42:8  "By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life."

OK, I don't know about you, but I've had a really rough and emotional week.  I'm not going to lie.  When you have a sick child with a yet undiagnosed illness, choosing joy in the rough times is easier said than done.  I've tried my best to be consistent in my quiet time, and let me tell you, I love how God works.  He always seems to direct my eyes to just what I need to see in His Word. 

The verse I chose to memorize for this week is one that was especially meaningful to me the last few days.  I've been reading through Psalms and Proverbs this month, and I actually read it a few weeks ago.  When I did, I highlighted it in my Bible, and kept on reading.  You see, that's the cool thing about God.  He reveals Himself to us through His written word, and God has a way of directing us to just what we need to read to hear His voice on just the day we need to hear it.  For some reason last week when I sat down to read, I felt God was directing me to go back and review some of the things I had highlighted in earlier days in the month.

Read Psalm 42.  In it, the psalmist talks about thirsting for God, being down in the dumps, choosing joy and trusting God.  It's the famous passage where the author says, "Why are you so sad?  Put your trust in God!"  But I love how God works.  This time, it wasn't that well known verse that stuck out to me; however, He did use another verse in this chapter to really encourage me. 

Take a look at verse eight.  "By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life."  During the day time, when I'm awake, God tells me, "I love you.  Don't worry, I've got this."  And at night, He holds me tightly, sings me a lullaby and rocks me to sleep.  That's the visual image I have with the second part of this verse.  At night, when all is quiet and my mind easily wanders into the different scenarios and plays the "what if" game, God my Father, my daddy, holds me so tightly that His love erases all other emotions.  His love is with me during the day, and His song is with me at night.  He's got this.  When I'm awake.  When I'm asleep.  My God who never slumbers has this under control, and even though I feel so helpless, it doesn't matter.  All I need to do is trust Him.  This verse gives me such peace!

Then I love the end of the verse.  "A prayer to the God of my life."  I've sat here and tried to find words to express how I feel when I read that phrase.  I usually don't have trouble expressing myself (as you well know) but the only thing I can think of is that I feel comforted - the kind of comfort that comes when a needed hug is received.  No, not a little hug, I'm talking about a big bear hug that squeezes away all fear and pain, leaving only tears of joy.  If I can say those words with honesty, that God is the God of my entire life, then I have to believe when He says, "I've got this" that He does.  For me, that's the kind of hug that I needed this week. 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Make up your mind ahead of time...

Psalm 59: 16  "But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love, for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."

Have you ever planned out what you will do in any given situation?  Maybe it's what you'll tell the officer when you get pulled over for speeding.  Maybe it's what you'll do if you get called on for your opinion in a meeting.  Maybe it's how you will react to that annoying person who drives you crazy the next time you come in contact with them.  But have you ever decided ahead of time how you will react to trials in your life?

I love the story of Daniel.  One of my favorite lines from that book is "Daniel purposed in his heart..."  You see, Daniel had morals.  He knew ahead of time what he would do in any given situation.  He committed ahead of time to do the right thing and have the right heart attitude.  In the verse for this week, David said the same thing.  He didn't have to think about it.  He says that no matter what, He will sing of God's strength and love.  He knew God was the only strong tower to help him during times of trouble, and he purposed in his heart that he would praise God.

Think about the imagery of a fortress.  In olden times, when the enemy was attacking, where did people run?  To the fortress.  They ran for safety and shelter; they closed the gates to guard against harm.  David knew God was the fortress to turn to...not his money, not his riches, not his friends.  God, and God alone.  He hides us in the shadow of His wings.  He comforts us with His love.  He is our shelter in the time of storm. 

About two weeks ago, I was writing a poem for a dear friend who has been going through a terrible fight with cancer.  The poem talks about why God allows us to go through the hard times.  The wounds and scars we develop here on earth are nothing compared to the wounds and scars Jesus has from enduring the cross for our sins, and when we go through those hard times, it increases our faith.  My friend has been a hero of faith through this ordeal, and as I prayed for her while I was writing, I asked the Lord to allow me to have that same faith when going through difficult times.  What would I do, and would my faith actually be as strong in hard times as it is when things are going well? 

So what about you?  Have you purposed in your heart how you will react when tough times come?  Have you decided ahead of time that you will praise God in the morning?  Are you going to be like David and run to the fortress?  Are you going to be like Daniel and purpose in your heart ahead of time to honor God, no matter what?  Are you going to wake up praising God in the morning, like David?  Can these words be yours?

So I will praise You God for any pain I endure. 
I will praise You, Lord, for it's my faith You spur. 
I will praise You God, for the strength that You give.
No matter the scar, Lord, for You I'll live.

As you memorize Psalm 59:16 this week, please join me in trying to internalize it.  Make up your mind ahead of time.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Mr. Half Job?...Nope, not with God.

Psalm 139:16  "Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

A half job.  You know what that is, right?  In my house, it's my pet-name for jobs that get started and never finished or jobs that just don't get done thoroughly.  You know the kind.  When your kid's job is to do the dishes and you go to inspect the job, only to find the dishes done but the sink not cleaned out.  Or what about when your husband so kindly hangs a picture on the wall for you, but the hammer and tools sit out on the counter for days?  To be completely fair, perhaps I am the queen of half jobs in our house.  I love to start scrapbooking projects, but it takes me days to finish them or clean up after them.  Perhaps the worst one is to buy all the components needed to start a job but never actually do it.  Yes, half jobs are all over the place.  At one point and time, everyone in our house has been called Mr. or Mrs. (or Master or Little Miss) Half Job.

As I was reading and studying earlier this week, I came across Psalm 139:16, the verse to memorize for the week.  It says God saw us before we born - when our body was still unformed.  He knows our every move before we even take it.  I'm also reminded of the verse in Philippians 1:6 where Paul says, "He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 

Then the thought hit me.  God is not a God of half-jobs.

When God starts to work in your life, when He leads you down a path, He doesn't give up. He doesn't get distracted by other things and forget about the task He started.  No, He starts it in us, and we can be assured He's going to finish it.  God is not going to lead us in one direction and then drop kick us to the other end of the field to fend for ourselves. 

You know, I really needed to be reminded of this fact.  Sure, I knew that He never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5.)  Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged when God leads you down a path but doesn't seem to show you the immediate next step.  But as my pastor said on Sunday morning, that's what faith is all about.  If the Holy Spirit has started a work in you, leading you in a certain direction, He doesn't have to show you the big roadmap of how you're going to get to your end destination.  We just have to have the faith that if He started it, He's got each step of the way planned out for us, just like the verse for this week says.

I am so thankful my God is not a God of half jobs.  I'm grateful He hasn't given up on me and moved on to bigger and better projects.  No, He ordained my days and wrote them down before I ever was born.  God, thank you for this reminder, and thank you for your persistence in pursuing me and leading me.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encouraging during the lemons of life...

Proverbs 12:25  "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."

Sometimes God allows things to happen and take place in our life that the world would simply call a "lemon" of a deal.  When these things happen, when the lemons are dealt, we are often left feeling disheartened.  No, not necessarily depressed or even worried, just simply heavy hearted.  

Think about Naomi.  If you're not familiar with the story, take some time to go read the book of Ruth.  From the world's perspective, Naomi was dealt some real lemons.  Her husband had died.  She had two sons, and they both passed away.  Naomi was no longer even living in her homeland or near her relatives for support.  All she had left was her two daughter-in-laws: Orpah and Ruth.  These tragedies left Naomi disheartened to the point that she told Ruth to call her Mara, because "the Almighty has made my life very bitter."  Her anxious heart was heavy.  Can you blame Naomi, really? 

Maybe you're in a similar situation.  You feel like the Lord has thrown some lemons at you lately.  Your heart is heavy.  You're lonely.  You're disheartened.  You need someone to encourage you.

Back to the story, let's look at the impact Ruth's words likely had on Naomi, in relation to the verse to memorize for this week.  Ruth 1:16-17    "But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you will go I will go, and where you will stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried'..." 

Can you imagine how Naomi's spirits were lifted from the loving words Ruth offered?  Naomi was perhaps at an all time low.  She wasn't out there asking for handouts, in fact, she even gave her two daughters-in-law an 'out' to leave her.  Although those lemons were still tough to swallow, I do believe Naomi was better able to swallow them because of the loving support of Ruth.

Let's look at the verse for the week.  "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."  Do you know someone like Naomi?  Someone who is heavy hearted, with a lemon-filled life?  Do you know someone falling away from church, maybe because of life's circumstances? 

The question begs, "What are you going to do about it?"  When is the last time you hand-wrote a note to encourage another person?  Technology like email and facebook are amazing tools, but when is the last time you actually picked up the phone to call someone to lift their spirits over the phone?  I know I've been the recipient of many kind words cheering me up lately.  I also know that the Lord has been teaching me lately to be a more consistent encourager.  It's so easy to get busy and just neglect to send a note...neglect to call.  The truth is that I've found when I take the time to encourage someone else, I'm encouraged.  It's funny how that works like that!

So who do you know that needs encouraged this week, and what are you going to do about it?  Will you be like Ruth and encourage a heavy-heartened friend?  Perhaps this comes a bit more naturally for women than men, but that's no excuse.  Men and women alike, will you join me in making a goal to look outside your circle and encourage a new person each week?  Let's each consider it our responsibility to not only memorize this verse but also to carry it out this week.   Let's all cheer up someone with a kind word and help their lemons turn to lemonade.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

Can you walk on water?

A few months ago, my husband took the kids on a weekend trip to Baton Rouge.  (Unfortunately, I had to work and wasn't able to make the trip.)  He had heard about a place where you could climb into a plastic bubble, allowing you to literally walk on the water.  It looked like a fun thing to do, so they put it on their list for the weekend activities.

Walking on water.  Easier said than done.  Amber was able to stay standing up for a few seconds, but for the most part, both Amber and Jacob fell to their knees trying.  The secret to success?  Balance, eyes forward, body upright, and a lot of strength.

This morning I was reading that common story in Matthew 14 of Jesus walking on the water, with the invite to Peter to come join Him.  The storm was pretty bad, and the waves were thrashing against the side of the boat.  Sometimes we forget this detail when we remember this childhood Sunday School story.  Think about it.  When it's storming really badly, would you volunteer to go out to get the mail, let alone, volunteer to go out and walk on water?  Yet, that's exactly what Peter did.

You've heard the speculation on reasons why Peter started to sink.  He took his eyes off the Lord.  He lost faith.  He got scared.  The truth is, we don't know why he actually started to sink.  But I do know that the Lord Jesus, in His awesome power, reached down and lifted Peter up...all while still walking on the water Himself!

We may not walk on water, but we do walk through tough circumstances.  It's at these times that only a miraculous God can lift us up and help us get through.  What was the key to success for my kids in Baton Rouge?  Balance.  Eyes forward.  Body upright.  And a lot of strength. 

As we face difficult situations in our lives, I think those are the same keys to success to walk on the water spiritually.  We need balance.  Balance in our spiritual and our personal lives.  Balance to know the right steps to take and when.  We need our eyes forward.  Looking back at past mistakes and dwelling there does not help us move forward.  Like Paul says in Philippians 3:14, we need to "press toward the mark."  We can't press toward the mark unless our eyes are facing forward.  Then we must have our body upright.  When we're standing, we're ready to move when God says move.  If we're sitting down, laying down, or slouched over, how ready are we for the battle?  Not at all.  Finally, just like the kids in the bubble, we need a lot of strength.  Our strength comes only from God Almighty.  Just as Peter did not have the strength or power to walk on the water himself, God does.  We must be plugged into the power source on a daily basis in order to have the strength to face our circumstances.

Do you believe you can walk on water?  Literally speaking, I hope not, you may end up drowning.  But I do hope that with God's strength and in His will, you believe you can do and accomplish anything.  You can make it through any storm by relying on Him.  Let's remember Peter's example of faith, and let's walk on the water together with Christ through the storms of life.

 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com