“For the Lord God will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint…” Isaiah 50:7
When Jesus walked out to the disciples on the sea, Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Peter was asking for supernatural ability to do what his Teacher was doing. Jesus replied, “Come.” Peter stepped out of the boat and onto the water with the intention of miraculously walking to Jesus. In Matthew 14, the Bible tells us that Peter did supernaturally walk on water, but he was distracted from reaching his destination. The boisterous winds captured his attention, fear seized Peter’s heart and he began to sink. The disciple cried out, “Lord, save me!” The Lord did save him.
Peter went on to live a wild life for Christ, pressing through tremendous difficulty for the sake of the Gospel. Boisterous winds were nothing compared to the political and religious opposition that Peter withstood. Fear did not keep him from fulfilling his purpose as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Peter stood strong through punishment and death for his faith.
As we grow in God, we learn by experience to keep our eyes on Jesus and to plant our feet firmly on our path. We learn to set our face like flint, with our gaze fixed on what the Lord has called us to do. We learn not to be moved by the circumstances around us, whether they are good or bad. We learn not to be pulled off course by emotions, whether they are up or down.
Emotions are a gift from God. They are given to us as a tool, meant to express our inner self to the world around us. Emotions are useful for communication so that we can understand one another better. Emotions are good, but emotions are not lasting. Emotions are helpful, but emotions are not meant to guide us. We are to be led by our spirit. We are to be led by the Holy Spirit. When we know our leading, we stay true to that calling, and rise up over our emotions. We can be faithful because we know God is faithful. We can stand firm because our trust is in God, not our emotions, not our circumstances. God is faithful!
Application: God says, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG). Like Peter, we can know that Jesus is our destination. He isn’t moving away from us. He isn’t changing. He is faithful, no matter what, He is faithful. Stand firm.