Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“About four o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water! They screamed in terror, for they thought he was a ghost. But Jesus immediately spoke to them, reassuring them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. Then Peter called to him: ‘Sir, if it is really you, tell me to come over to you, walking on the water.’ 
‘All right,’ the Lord said, ‘come along!’ So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. ‘O man of little faith,’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt me?’
Matthew 14: 25-31 (TLB)

“Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.”
Isaiah 30: 21 (NLT)

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
John 8: 31-32 (NIV)

In the scene in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is walking on the water to help his disciples who are in a boat caught in a storm out on the Sea of Galilee.

When they see Him, they believe Him to be a ghost. 

Until He tells them who He is.

And then our impetuous disciple Peter tests Jesus, by saying if it is really you, call me out to come to you on the water. 

And Jesus said “Come.” Listening to Jesus’ voice, Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water to Christ.

Then the wind and waves became louder voices to him, and Peter began to sink.

It’s where we find ourselves every day. Right where Peter was.

Knowing the right way. Knowing and following God’s way. Then the world’s voices become louder, more enticing, fearful, critical, condemning. 

And we get off track. We begin to sink. 

The lure of voices.

They are always around us, seeking to have their own way. 

Not for our best. Appealing to ambition, power, wealth, image, pleasure, entitlement, and self-interest. 

Voices telling us we are not worthy, reminding us of our shortcomings, instilling doubt, fear, and defeat in our days.

Voices which tempt, demean, deceive, and diminish who God created us to be. Contrary to all who God says we are and can be—if we will instead just listen to His Voice. 

In the song “Voice of Truth” songwriters Steven Curtis Chapman and John Mark Hall share these words—

“Oh what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I’m in, onto the crashing waves.
To step out of my comfort zone,
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is.
And He’s holding out His hand.
But the waves are calling out my name, and they laugh at me,
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed.
The waves they keep on telling me,
Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”
But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the Voice of Truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me,
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth…”

So, what voices will we hear and follow? 

The voices of the ways of the world? Voices which do not lead to fulfillment and satisfaction, but lead eventually to nowhere.

Or will we listen for, hear, and follow the Voice of the God who created us, loves us, and knows the way we should go?

There is only one choice for you and for me.

The Voice of Truth. 

In His Name–Scott

Sit back, relax, and take in this lifting arrangement by the talented group—Casting Crowns—of “Voice of Truth.”