Prayers for the Week: Step out of the Boat!

²²Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.“
²⁸And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” ~ Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV)

Hello my friends, and welcome to this week’s prayers for the week post.  The powerful words above is a story that all of us that have opened a Bible have probably heard or read about, myself included, but there are times when you hear the story preached to you and you immediately see all sorts of things that you had missed before.  That happened to me this past Tuesday night, when the Rev. Neal Jeffrey gave the message at The Men’s Study Bible Study.

Friends, there are just twelve verses of Scripture in the tale of Jesus walking on water, but contained in those twelve verses is enough power to open the eyes of almost anyone.  Have a look with me at some of the important points that I re-learned, thanks to Rev. Jeffrey.

1. Jesus gave the disciples instruction, and they did so immediately.
2. After He was alone, Jesus did what comes so naturally to Him; He Prayed. If only we were as faithful in our prayers as Jesus is in His!
3. The boat was assailed by the storm on the water, and was far away from shore.
4. Jesus came to them on the water, walking on the surface.  It was a miracle!
5. The disciples didn’t recognize Him; they thought He was a ghost. Jesus spoke to them, though, telling them that He was there.
6. Peter then tested Jesus, telling Him to command he come to Him if it was really Jesus out there.
7. Jesus commanded Peter to come to Him, and Peter did — he walked on water also! Another miracle!
8. But then, Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and just like all of us when we take our eyes of Jesus — he ran into trouble, just as we do.
9. But most importantly, though, Peter cried out for Jesus to help him — and Jesus immediately helped him!
10. Afterwards, the wind died down, and those in the boat worshiped Jesus.

My takeaways from those verses can be summed up in just a couple of more sentences.  When Jesus gives me instruction, I should do so immediately. Don’t put it off until later. I should always make time to pray. I should ask God boldly for things — don’t be afraid to step out of the boat! I should keep my eyes focused on Jesus, but if I falter, I should ask Him for help, because He will help immediately! Lastly, I should always worship God and His Son, Jesus!

Thank you for reading along with me, now, please continue to pray for our prayer requests and praises.

Prayer Requests & Praises

• Lynn starts us off with a prayer request for her family: If you could, please pray for me and my family. My grandmother passed away Wednesday night and today we would have been celebrating her 94th Birthday. She passed away only 3 hours before her birthday. I know she is having the best birthday celebration ever right now.
  I have always been so very close to her.
• Lynn also has a prayer request for her friend: Please pray for my friend. We went to high school together. She is 40 years old and recently found out she has breast cancer. She is having surgery this morning. They will be taking her back between 7-8 this morning. And please pray for her family. She has a husband and two kids.
  • The praise is that the surgery went well, so keep praying for Lynn’s friend and her family.  Thank you!
• Last week we prayed for Lynn’s uncle, who had fallen.  He had some serious complications which included being taken to ICU for a spell, but he is doing much better, so Praise be to God for that!  Please keep praying for Lynn’s uncle and his recovery!
• Please pray for my friend Lindsey, recently was the one year anniversary of her sister passing away. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to walk forward but remember their loved one.
• Please continue your prayers for Brandon, who was listed as a prayer request last week.  Also, please keep praying for all of the people that have been listed on here at some point or another, pray for their healing, for their families, pray for those that are lost, and for those that don’t know what to pray or how to pray.

Now, please close with us by praying the prayer that Jesus taught His Disciples and us to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those that trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and Power, and Glory
Forever and ever. Amen.

 

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