Walking Through (and On) the Impossible

*Before reading this devotional, please read Matthew 14:22-36

Most days I can barely keep my head above water. As laundry, dishes, social commitments and work responsibilities pile up, the sensation of drowning increases. How can I be a godly wife, mother, daughter, friend, employee and neighbor when I can't even remember to eat lunch? Yet here we read that Jesus (and Peter) not only kept their heads above water, but their entire bodies!! How?


The quick -- and accurate -- answer is Faith (vs. 31). But I am drawn to the verses earlier in the chapter that discuss all the stresses Jesus had experienced that same day. Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded and instead of getting to grieve for his cousin, he is followed by a crowd of at least 5,000 people. Matthew says, "He had compassion on them and healed their sick," (vs. 14) and then provides them with a plentiful supper out of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. His experiences of the day should have left him physically exhausted, spiritually drained and emotionally grieved. How then could he walk on water?

How can I walk on water?


I think verse 23 has my answer. Jesus "went up on a mountainside by himself to pray." He found a place, free of distractions, where he could talk to his Father. What better way to get faith strong enough to walk on water than to spend time with God? After all, as we learned as children, God made the water He helps us walk on (Genesis 1:9,10)!



I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12,13