Pray While You’re Prey Weekly Devotions for Singles
Week Thirteen Focus Scripture: Matthew 14:29-31 Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Quote from Pray While You’re Prey: “God doesn’t want us to be alone if we desire not to be. But any time that you put anyone or anything before God, it is a sin and displeasing to God. God will not bless anything that is displeasing to him.” Peter is by far my favorite disciple. He is so fiery and ready to fight for what he believes in, even when he is wrong. Peter is passionate. You can tell he loved Jesus sincerely, even after he denied knowing Christ, his disappointment in himself shows that he was truly brokenhearted that he had not stood up for his Savior, his Friend. One of my favorite Peter moments is walking on the water. I was not there, so I do not know what was actually said by other people on the boat, but I can only imagine, based on my knowledge of human nature what the other passengers were thinking. Some probably thought Peter was very brave. Others probably thought he was a show-off. And, oh, when he started to sink! I can just hear it now, “Where’s your big faith now, Peter?” Or, “Mmm hmm, you thought you were all big and bad, Peter, now look at you. You’re going to drown!” Why didn’t Peter just keep his eyes on Jesus? It could have saved him a lot of trouble and embarrassment. I have to ask myself that question more often than I like. Why can’t I just stay focused on Jesus? I was abstinent for over years. It started as a bargain with God (which we should never do, but I was young and foolish), but then, I began to see how much more clearly I saw the world when I was not living in constant disobedience. Being single was still difficult for me, but not unbearable. Then, I met someone, and it only took a few months before I stopped focusing on what God wanted for my life and started focusing on making the relationship work, which included being disobedient to God to make my man happy. In the beginning of my abstinence journey, some people thought I was very brave. Others thought I was crazy and just showing off, so they waited for my downfall. And, I gave it to them. God blessed me to be in a relationship, but the minute I felt that relationship was threatened, and the storm of singleness started raging, I lost my focus. I began to sink back into my old habits, rather than trusting God to heal the relationship or to end the relationship because it was not His best for me. I was drowning! Then, God said, “Why do you doubt Me?” God has brought me through too much for me to lack faith in Him. He has also shown me how much better my live if when I live in obedience to His Word. It does not matter what the people around me say or think. My sole focus has to be on God, not others. If we desire to be in a relationship, God is not trying to keep us out of one. However, if we let that relationship come before God and if we start trusting in a man or a woman over God, God will not be pleased. As we sink, it will start to feel as if He is further and further away from us, but He has not moved. It is our focus that has shifted and caused the distance. The best part of the story is that Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter. He said, “You of little faith.” This indicated that Peter had some faith. And, if we can just have a little faith, even after we start sinking, God will not let us drown. He will catch us, correct us, and come closer to us as we draw nigh to Him. If being single is not what you desire for your life, it can be difficult. So, whether you are in a bad place or you finally feel safe, keep your focus on God. Prayer Thank You, God for always catching me before I drown due to my own lack faith. Please forgive me for being disobedient and losing focus. Lord, please help me to never doubt You or Your love for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen *Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©1984, unless otherwise indicated.
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