The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections
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Jun 18
Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest
Matthew 14:29-30
". . . Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid . . ."
Reckless Abandonment
Reckless Faith in the Midst of the Waves
Peter recklessly abandoned all precaution and stepped onto the water, and began walking toward Jesus.
When Peter saw Jesus, he had no thought to his own preservation; he just threw caution to the wind and stepped out of the boat and went toward Jesus.
Then he began to notice his surroundings. The winds were wild, the waves were tremendous, and he lost his focus on the Lord, and down he went. He called out to Jesus for help...
... the Lord reached out a hand and saved him.
How many people are going to throw caution to the wind and step out onto a wild, wet sea of water? Not very many of us.
Even when we have our minds focused on the Lord, when troubles come and surround us... what do we do? We forget about the one holding us. We forget about the strong arm of the Lord that has never failed us. We forget He is the God that spoke — and the winds and waves fell silent.
Where is our reckless abandonment to just step out in faith and trust the Lord?
We let our surroundings and circumstances take center stage because we can physically see the trouble—but we cannot physically see the Lord. But this is when blind faith shines.
In the book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar that their God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, but even if He did not, they still would not bow down to the king's golden statue. And you know the story... Jesus joined them in the furnace and they were unharmed. King Nebuchadnezzar called for them to come out of the furnace, and they emerged unscathed.
Peter did not drown, the young men did not burn... what more do we need to know about our wonderfully faithful Lord? Nothing at all. We have the Bible and all of the truths within it. We have our own life as witness to His might and providence... we see the miracles come alive in our own lives daily. The sun comes up, the sun sets, the moon and stars light the night skies, and our lives continue. The earth continues. The rains come, the seasons change... what more proof do we need?
The Holy Spirit within us witnesses to our own Spirit that He is here now. We need to gird ourselves with the truth and believe in Him. Trust Him. Ask Him to help us. Take His faith and stand in it.
Be resolute and determined that we will not waver in our desire to see this journey to the end. We must persevere. We must cling to the God we know and trust. He will bring us through anything that obstructs our path to glory.
Listen for His voice and when you hear it — even in the faintest way possible — surrender everything to Him. Respond immediately with reckless abandonment. Chambers says you will only recognize His voice more clearly through recklessness — being willing to risk your all.
When fear, circumstances, and doubt rise, let us throw caution to the wind and be reckless with our abandonment to Christ. Throwing our all upon Him we will ride out the storm knowing we are safe in His strong and caring arms.
Breath Prayer
Lord, help me release all caution;~Quil
Scripture References
Daniel 3:17–18 — Faith that stands firm even if deliverance doesn’t come.
Isaiah 43:2 — God is present in deep waters and fiery trials.
Psalm 46:1 — God is our refuge and strength in every trouble.
Hebrews 12:2 — We endure by fixing our eyes on Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:7 — Faith walks where sight cannot.
Psalm 34:4 — God delivers those who look to Him instead of fear.
Psalm 93:4 — The Lord is mightier than the waves that rise around us.
Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trusting God fully keeps our steps straight.
John 10:27 — His sheep learn to recognize His voice.
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