Walking Upon the Waters of God's Will

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

by Hillsong United

You call me out upon the water
The great unknown, where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep, my faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed, and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours, and You are mine

Learning to Let Go

Trusting is difficult. It means letting go. It means giving up control. It means transferring your confidence from yourself to another person--in my case, the other person that I need to rely on is Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

I know in my head that God is trustworthy. His character is such that it makes much better sense to put my faith in Him rather than in myself. God is sovereign; I am subject to circumstances. God is all-powerful; I am extremely weak. God is wise; I have very limited understanding. In light of this, why is it so difficult for me to let go?

I can think of several possible reasons--and all of them are upsetting. It could be that I don't trust in God's goodness. It could be that I am proud, and that I think I can do a better job than He can. It could be that I feel like if I "let go," my life will spin out of control. Or it could be a combination of all three! But it all boils down to the fact that I don't believe in my heart of hearts that God is who He says He is and can do what He says He will do.

God is bringing to light areas in my life where I need to "let go and let God." One of these areas is my search for employment. I need a job, and I need one soon! I'm doing my best to scour the internet and other resources for every possible opportunity. However, there comes a point at which I need to put the situation in God's hands.

For example, I am reviewing a possible nannying position. I have many questions: Am I capable of handling this? Will the family's schedule match up with my availability? What are the children like? Truthfully, I'm just plain scared. Scared to venture out into new territory that I have never attempted before. But should this keep me from moving forward, if I know that it is what God wants?

The Lord keeps bringing me back to a well-known passage of Scripture that is much easier to read and agree with than to actually put into practice. The passage is Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

 The meaning of this verse is made even clearer in the Message version of the Bible:

Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the One who will keep you on track.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Not only do I need to trust God mentally, but I need to trust Him emotionally--in the deepest parts of my heart and soul. In this way, I will desire to put into practice the things that He is calling me to do.

Don't try to figure out everything on your own. How often do I attempt this? I want to know who, where, when, why, and how everything is going to work out. But what room does this leave for my faith in God?

Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. I need to tune-out the constant flood of thoughts, worries, and what-if's that bombard my mind, and tune-in to God's still, small voice.

He's the only One who will keep you on track. If I "let go," my life will not crumble. If I trust in my God and surrender to Him, things will not spiral out of control. He is the only One who has the desire and ability to keep me on track, and He is the the only One worthy of my complete faith and trust.

I believe (Lord, help me overcome my unbelief! see Mark 9:24) that He will not let me down!

Great and Precious Promises

"He has given us His very great and precious promises." ~ 2 Peter 1:4

When a shipbuilder erects a boat, does he do so only to keep it on the scaffolding? No, he builds it to sail the seas and to weather the storms. In fact, if he does not think of strong winds and hurricanes as he builds it, he is a poor shipbuilder.

In the same way, when God made you a believer, He meant to test you. And when He gave you promises and asked you to trust them, He made His promises suitable for times of storms and high seas. Do you believe that some of His promises are counterfeit, similar to a life vest that looks good in the store but is of no use in the sea?

We have all seen swords that are beautiful but are useless in war, or shoes made for decoration but not for walking. Yet God's shoes are made of iron and brass, and we can walk all the way to heaven in them, without ever wearing them out. And we could swim the Atlantic a thousand times in His life vest, with no fear of ever sinking. His Word of promise is meant to be tried and tested.

There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to publicly profess Him and then not use Him. He loves for us to make use of Him, for His covenant blessings are not simply meant to be looked at but should be appropriated. Our Lord Jesus has been given to us for our present use. Are you making use of Him as you should?

O beloved, I plead with you not to treat God's promises as something to be displayed in a museum but to use them as everyday sources of comfort. And whenever you have a time of need, trust the Lord. Charles H. Spurgeon

Go to the depths of God's promise,
And claim whatsoever you will;
The blessing of God will not fail you,
His Word He will surely fulfill.

How can God say no to something He has promised?

taken from Streams in the Desert