Friday, January 7: Matthew 14:25-31

And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out with His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Can prayer override the natural laws of the universe?

Have you ever asked for proof of something, only to have a hard time believing the evidence once you’ve seen it? When we talk about defying laws of the universe, we often pray to God because we think that if we see something amazing, we will certainly believe. The passage today shows us that logic is flawed. Witnessing a miracle like this didn’t necessarily prompt more faith from the disciples. Peter literally saw the miracle of Jesus walking on the water and got to experience it for himself, walking on the water toward Jesus. Our logic would say that, with each step, he should have grown more confident in faith, but the opposite happened. He took his focus off Jesus and put it on his circumstances, and he started to sink. Our prayers to God that say “God, if you do this, then I will believe you” are sometimes graciously answered, but these conditional prayers don’t necessarily lead us to greater faith as we might have hoped.

One of the aspects of God’s character is order. This is evident in the natural laws of the world He created for His purposes. Think about the wonder of a snowfall or a sunrise. We cannot mimic the complexity or the order of this creation. Being the Creator, God is certainly at liberty to change the laws of the universe whenever or however He pleases, yet He rarely chooses to do so. These miraculous wonders may intrigue us, but they aren’t God’s main vessel to bring us to genuine faith. It is through Jesus Christ that we have true faith. God has given us many everyday wonders to witness that proclaim the work of His hand and His glory and none is greater than the miracle of new life through Christ in His Holy Spirit. May we never get so caught up waiting for a sign in the sky that we take for granted the miracles He has already designed day after day.

• What are some everyday miracles you witness?
• Have you ever prayed and asked God to do something to build your faith? What happened?
• Pray and ask God to remind you of the many miracles He has set before you in your life. Ask Him to continue to lead you to deeper faith in Him.