SCRIPTURE: Read Matthew 14:22-33
STUDY: As we pursue God, we will have questions about who God is and what He is asking of us. It requires faith to trust and follow Jesus. What is faith? It is believing God is who He said He is. God says He is our shepherd, so we can trust that He will guide us. God says He will be our shield and protector, so we can go to Him when we feel afraid.
Faith is like sitting in a chair. We never question or doubt that it will hold us up when we sit on it. It is secure every time. That is like God and faith. No matter where we are, we can be confident that God will be there for us. Here’s a fun activity you can do with your kids at dinnertime to illustrate this.
• Select a chair and move it to different places in the room or throughout the house. (If you have the time and space, you can even do this as a hide-and-seek game to find the chair.)
• Make a game of having your children sit on the chair several times at each location. They are bound to ask you, but don’t tell them why you are doing this weird thing.
• When all done with the activity, ask your children if there was ever any question that the chair would hold them up. Did it matter where the chair was? We may not always understand why God asks us to do certain things, but we know that He will be with us and help us as we trust and follow Him.
One of the greatest stories of “stepping out in faith” and stepping into the unknown is Peter walking on water. Peter understood that whatever Jesus did, he should follow and do likewise. When Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he said, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on the water.” (Matthew 14:28) Jesus invited Peter to join Him. Peter did great until he began to doubt. But who was he doubting? Was it Jesus? I don’t think so. (The chair is still strong and sturdy, able to hold you up.) Peter was doubting himself. He had become uncertain whether he could really do the impossible task of walking on water. But what distinguished Peter from the rest of the disciples? He took initiative and stepped out into the unknown; having faith in the person of Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge is to know God better so you can trust Him and be confident of what He is asking of you. If God is commanding you to do something – even if there are plenty of unknowns – “step out in faith.” Is it reaching out to help someone in school? Is it telling someone about Jesus who does not know Him yet? Is it forgiving someone who has really hurt you? Maybe there is someone at school who no one likes and God is asking you to be friendly towards them. The challenge is to get out of the boat like Peter did.
Parents, share a time when you trusted God even though there was a lot of uncertainty. (Maybe you are currently in this time!) Tell your children how God “showed up!”
Every time you sit in a chair this week, give thanks to God for always being there.
KEY POINT: Uncertainty; know that you don’t know. (God does not have to show you everything before you take your first step to obey and follow Him.)
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as I seek you with all my heart, help me to understand your purposes for my life, and then help me act in faith and courage to do what is right with a pure heart. Help me to keep trusting and following you even though I may not know everything.