And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity. 2 Corinthians 9:8 AMP
I know that you might have caught that I used this passage of scripture just last week, but I have simply found that I’m not done unpacking it. It’s a great verse, isn’t it? It’s as though you were reading through the documents of your inheritance, and this articulated most of it so nicely. Some Christians believe that our inheritance as children of God becomes ours once we get to Heaven, but I’m not convinced. There are too many scriptures that point to being blessed – and experiencing those blessings – on this side of Heaven.
As I’ve been chewing on this verse a lot lately, it’s no wonder that it pops into my mind as I read other parts of scripture. Or when I’m reading a devotional. Or when I’m blasting praise and worship music. Or when I tell myself that I need to focus more on my next post. The list can go on for a long time: this verse is continuing to make an impact on me.
Last week I wrote about being self-sufficient in Him – about how we can’t be self-sufficient apart from Him. To be completely lame in referencing the movie Jerry Maguire, nothing in this world can make us whole. It is God who completes us. It’s not our spouse, it’s not our kiddos, not our grandchildren, not our ministry, not our job… it is God who completes us. Then I started thinking about what having Him in the picture really looks like.
I randomly picked up a devotional the other day that we had on our shelf – one that I purchased a long time ago with the intention of reading but hadn’t gotten around to it – and got sucked in from page 1. With 2 Corinthians 9:8 still at the forefront of my thoughts, I coupled it with the passage I was reading in the devotional, and I felt as though I was reading the familiar passage for the first time. Take a minute and read Matthew 14:22-31. This is the account of Peter stepping out of the boat, in the middle of a storm, and walking on the water to Jesus.
I’ve read or heard this passage taught on since I was in diapers. As Snoopy (from the Peanuts) is famous for writing on his typewriter, it was a dark and stormy night… Jesus walked on water, called Peter out of the boat, and when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm, he immediately started to sink. The main takeaway is to keep your eyes on Jesus, right? But what about when it’s not a dark and stormy night?
When we are self-sufficient in Him, we can navigate the storms that we come against. That’s fantastic news! But how often do we forget that we need Him in the calm waters, too? If it had been broad daylight, water so calm it looked like glass, and not even a hint of a slight breeze, Peter still couldn’t walk on the water without Jesus. Peter needed Jesus in the storms of life as well as the calm.
I often think of the disciples and simultaneously judge them for their lack of faith and marvel at their bravery and resolve. When I think of Peter, all I can picture is the man who sank in the water and denied Jesus 3 times. That’s not walking out 2 Corinthians 9:8 very well, but then read a few books later in the Bible how much Peter had fixed his focus to find his self-sufficiency in Jesus.
Flip your Bible open to Acts 12:1-11. One of our pastors brought this passage up in a message recently and I noticed something that I’d not noticed before: Peter was in a terrible situation, but he was sleeping. He was sleeping so deeply that the angel had to strike him in order to wake him! Talk about being in the middle of a massive storm – Peter was on his way to being executed by Herod – but he was able to peacefully sleep!
While I walk through the everyday stuff that is calm, I still need to find my self-sufficiency in Jesus. If I can’t set my focus on Him in the calm, how am I ever going to be disciplined enough to keep my focus on Him with tumultuous wind and waves beating against and all around me?
God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything… I don’t know about you, but I simply wake up and have need of my Savior. Not a need for coffee – though I truly love my coffee – but an unending need for my Savior. It might be a regular day, a relaxed day, a hectic day – if it’s a day of the week that ends in Y then I need Him. And so do you.
Personally, I don’t think we’re called to be in a boat at all, but rather walking with Him on the water, no matter the state of the weather. But it is impossible to walk anywhere without the One who completes us.
In Acts 12, Peter was arrested and guarded by 4 squads of soldiers – that was at least 32 guards for 1 man! Peter was in a deep sleep between 2 soldiers, and he was in chains. The angel had to strike him to wake him from his peaceful slumber, he had to get dressed, and walk out of there – past the guards and through the gate. When he stepped out of the boat in the first storm, he became overcome with fear, but when he was in the second storm, he was so focused on his Savior that he had peace enough to sleep.
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 NLT
Jesus has provided us with an abundance of peace. Peace to walk in the calm and in the storms. Complete peace. And it’s what we need in this life. Good thing it’s part of our inheritance.
What are some stormy times that you’ve experienced walking on water with Jesus? What are some of the calm times that come to mind? I hope that you’ll be reminded of how important it is to spend time with Jesus, looking to Him, deepening your relationship with Him, and learning about life outside of the boat.