God gave me some insight and encouragement today. I wanted to share with you what I wrote and I pray it encourages you.
When Peter walked on the water towards Jesus, as long as his focus was on the Lord, he was fine. When he took his eyes off of Him, he was overwhelmed by the chaos and roar of the storm and fell. There’s plenty in this world that will worry, frighten and upset us if we allow it to. What we focus on becomes our reality. We aren’t called to do everything and save the world. Only God can handle such a burden.
When the storms of life hit, as they inevitably will, we cannot succumb to the worry and unrest. We must lean into the One who has overcome the world, the source of perfect peace and wisdom. During attacks, the enemy loves to challenge our identity and strives to replace God’s truth of who we are with lies which create fear and compromise. Only God gets to define our identity and His Word is full of hope, love and light.
No matter how much we strive to control everything, ultimately we must surrender it all to Him. We can’t fix all of our problems – some are outside of what we can do. Through prayer and petition, we must let our worries, concerns, fears and unrest be known to God. He is plenty big enough to handle it all and our emotions and mess don’t scare Him. He takes all things and works them out for our good, for those of us who love Him.
So next time the stresses of the world threaten to swallow you whole, return your gaze to the King of kings. Stop empowering the enemy with your time, focus and energy. Under the shelter of the Almighty, you can weather any storm. The Lord fights for you, defends you, is moving upon your behalf and is completely in love with you. Let Him be God and rest knowing that He has all power, authority and still moves mountains today.
What are your eyes currently focused on? Stop looking at the waves and return your gaze to Jesus. Let Him carry the burden and determine how it will all work out. Stay close to Him, with everything surrendered in His capable hands. He can make it all turn out in a way that you never imagined was possible. He is our loving Father and wants nothing more than to help us through our daily lives. Every detail matters to Him, and His love will see you through this storm.