By Lisa Wilmore
Scripture: And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus said unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretch forth his hand, and caught him…(Matthew 14: 25-31a).
My Dear Friends,
According to the Bible, the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John recorded Jesus praying. They penned how He prayed to the Father.
Matthew recorded Jesus praying after He fed the five thousand and before He sent the twelve disciples away on a ship. Jesus’ action revealed the necessity to pray privately even when others are engaged in their daily tasks or occupations. What a great example Jesus left for us to follow – a consistent prayer life.
As we read scriptures, we will realize that prayer is essential. However, it does not necessarily have to be long and drawn-out prayers in order to receive an answer from our Father. In our aforementioned text, Matthew records Peter’s short prayer. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, Peter asked Him to bid him to come. Jesus told him to come and as Peter walked on the water, he became afraid because of the loud wind and began to sink. He then says a short prayer, “Lord save me.” Scripture shows that Jesus answered his prayer by stretching forth his hand and caught him. Jesus saves him!
What a mighty God we serve! When we are in our storms, He hears and answers the simplest prayers.
What have you been praying for and it seems that God does not hear you.? Believe me, He hears you and will save you at any given moment.
Interestingly, I am reminded of a story my mom shared many years ago. She shared that my dad and she were traveling on a rainy day and the car hit a water hole and the car hydroplaned and continued to spin. She stated that she screamed, LORD HAVE MERCY! Immediately, the car stopped spinning and they lived to tell this testimony. My friends, Jesus hears and answers simple and short prayers!!
