Mat 14:28-32 (NIV) “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” Jesus, help me understand that the development of trust in You can be gradual. Help me ASK You to allow me to do things that I am a little bit afraid of. If I am not willing to ASK for things I know I should be able to do but am still not doing, then I won’t grow in my trust in You. Show me that Peter started right there and gained experiences the other disciples didn’t gain.

Mat 14:29 (NIV) “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Jesus, teach me that after I have ASKED for something that is stretching my faith and trust, when You say yes, You will give me Your power to do what I couldn’t do before. When You told the man with the shriveled hand to stretch it out in Mark 3:1-5, help me see that power had to change the hand before the man could obey. Then the man could do what he couldn’t do before. Help me see that, that will be how it works with me.

Mat 14:30 (NIV) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus, as You build my trust in You, You will allow things to challenge my trust. You didn’t calm the sea so Peter wouldn’t doubt. You let the wind keep blowing and the waves keep moving. Why? You wanted Peter and You want me to have COMPLETE trust in You. Make it clear to me that if I don’t, the time will come when I will need complete trust and I won’t have it.

Mat 14:31 (NIV) Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” Jesus, help me see that I WILL fail; and, I WILL get more training. Help me always keep in mind that no one starts out with perfect trust in You. But, I will not grow in my trust, if I don’t face issues that challenge it. I don’t want my trust and faith to be challenged; but, for me to grow, I must be properly challenged with just the right amount of pressure that I need.

Jesus, help me realize that I will receive more training when I fail. Teach me that the special thing about You and Your training is, You try to create in me a desire to know. When I hear the words: “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”, all kinds of reactions can come out of me. I can go into guilt; I can feel frustration toward myself or You; I can spend a lot of time trying to figure out why I doubted; or, I can ASK You to help me find out why I doubted. Show me that if I ASK You why I failed, I have allowed a desire-to-learn to enter my heart and mind. Teach me that, that is what You are looking for.

Mat 14:32 (NIV) And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Jesus, the wind dying down after Peter got into the boat seems strange. Peter would have liked it better if You had calmed the storm during his first attempt at walking on water. He probably wouldn’t have failed if You had given him a beautiful, calm day. Help me understand that when it seems like God is allowing EVERYTHING to come against me, I need to pray and ask Him to empower me to allow my trust grow in Him. Teach me that I have the right to ASK Him to calm my storms; but, if He says “NO,” by not giving me what I ASKED for, then let me ASK Him to help me with my trust attitudes.

Jesus, show me that this is how temptation works: 1 Cor 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

• No temptation has seized you: Jesus, whether it is a temptation to doubt Your power like Peter experienced when he was trying to walk on water, or, it is a temptation for me to sin, help me see that my trust will be tested by some kind of temptation. If I take advantage of the training, growth, relationship, and power I ALREADY have with You, I will win.


• No temptation has seized you except what is common to man: Jesus, help me realize that I must TRUST that the temptation I am facing isn’t strange, unique, or unheard of. Like the temptation Peter got that trained his trust, mine may be different from anyone elses; but, help me see that it is the same kind of issue. My trust-test is what is common to man.


• God is faithful: Jesus, teach me that this is what my trust training is all about! You are trying to teach me that God is faithful! As I put my faith in God, help me see that it gradually builds trust. You authored or started a faith in me when I heard the good news message. Rom 10:17 (NIV) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. At that moment, You spoke faith into me. That got me started growing in my relationship with God. Teach me that as that relationship grows, TRUST is built and solidified.


• He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear: Jesus, teach me that these trust tests will often take me to the limit; but, they WILL NOT cross the line. God WILL NOT let me be tempted beyond what I can bear. The stretching, expanding, and broadening that takes place in my faith and trust will produce incredible growth. Help me see that my relationship with God will be established in great trust.


• But WHEN you are tempted: Whether it is a temptation that challenges my faith, challenges my relationship with God, or is from my body, the world, or the devil, Jesus, make it clear to me that I WILL be faced with temptations. That is why You are spending all this time training me on how to resist. My trust relationship with God will build the necessary foundation with God so I will NEVER doubt His faithfulness.


• When you are tempted, He will also provide A WAY OUT: Jesus, as I grow in my trust in God’s faithfulness, help me see that I will automatically start looking for the way out. I will know He always does; so, my trust relationship will help me take the right actions.


• He will also provide A WAY OUT so that you can stand up under it: Jesus, trials, crises, struggles, hardships, and temptations can cause me to feel picked on. Satan will try to get me to start wondering why God is allowing these things to happen to me. Show me God’s desire as He trains, gives me important life-classes, gives me vital experiences and skills, and as He turns me into a mature, skilled, talented, experienced, child of God: He is doing it so I can stand up under it. God WANTS me to start living the victorious Christian life!