Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29

I recently had a discussion with a friend about how disappointments can turn into despair which can then turn into defeat. When this happens we may give up and decide not to take any more risks, because we aren’t sure if we can handle another failure. We may decide to play it safe which means we’ll never step outside our comfort zone. But there is a big problem with this decision because. . .

God always calls His kids outside their comfort zones. There just isn’t any way around it.

“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well” (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6).

God will never give you full control. There will always be wind. There will always be clouds, and the way He works will always be shrouded in mystery. If you insist on knowing everything about how you will get from where you are to where you will be, you will never sow and therefore you will never reap. If you always focus on what could go wrong, you will never sow and you will never reap. If you insist on control, you will never sow and you will never reap.

Therefore, you must learn how to sow in uncertainty. But remember. . . it seems uncertain to you, but it’s never uncertain to Him. He is always certain. He is a certain God and His plans never fail.

“One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: ‘Power belongs to you, God’” (Psalm 62:11).

Prayer: Lord, it can be difficult at times to step out in faith when I don’t know how things are going to turn out. But thank you that you are sovereign. I can trust you because every plan you have made comes to pass. Help me to submit to your rule. Amen.

Application: Read a story of an Old Testament saint and make note of the times when God directed them through some sort of unfortunate event, failure or trouble to accomplish His will.

Related Readings: 2 Timothy 1:7; John 21:6; Joshua 1:9

By Shana Schutte

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