Walking on Water
You’ve probably heard of the technique – or joke – of how to deal with the fear of public speaking. I’ve never tried it, probably because it didn’t seem appropriate to imagine my brothers and sisters in Christ naked when they were listening to a sermon! As a result, I can’t tell you if it actually works. It seems like it would be too distracting anyway.
Thanks to Oswald Chambers’ devotional for July 28 (My Utmost for His Highest), I believe there’s a better way to deal with not only fear of public speaking, but any fear or anxiety we may be dealing with. “What he desires for me is that I see ‘Him walking on the sea’ with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but having the absolute certainty that everything is alright because I see ‘Him walking on the sea’ (Mark 6:49).”
Picturing Jesus walking on water, coming toward me as I try to tamp down my fears, seems like a much better alternative to anything else anyone could imagine, and what’s more, it really does work. Seeing the majesty and power of Jesus on display and then watching as he beckons me to walk with him is the best and only way to learn to trust and depend on him.
As Chambers also says, “If I can stay calm, faithful and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me.” That purpose, he says, is the process of us being enabled to see that he can walk on water in the storms of our lives right now. And as Peter found out, if Jesus can walk on water, so can we, as long as we believe, trust and keep our eyes on him.
Study by Tammy Tkach
First published on 31 July 2024, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com a personal blog which is not sponsored by Grace Communion International.
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA, Grace Communion International congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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