‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

We serve a God who is a waymaker. He redeems us when we don’t feel worthy. As our heavenly Father, He calls us by name. He wades in the water with us. He holds us up as the waters start to rise. He is our shield of armor to protect us from all the earthly flames we walk through. 

On this Mighty Monday, let’s be reminded who we are in Christ Jesus. Allow the wonders of God to give us strength. We shouldn’t fear the day because God is in control. When we don’t see the way, we can ask God to lead the way. 

Dear God, thank You for calling me by name. Thank You for walking with me and leading me in the way I should go. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalms‬ ‭81‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.

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2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV — But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

I have always loved today’s featured Bible verse as it refers to jars of clay. I have only worked with clay in very amateur projects but when I think of my experiences I know that the clay has to be soft and pliable in order to manipulate and mold it. When I think of our relationship with Christ, I think we should be like clay. We must be soft and pliable in order to be moldable. We must allow ourselves to be vulnerable to God. We must be willing to follow His will.

This week we have looked at various ways that being vulnerable can be positive instead of the usual negative connotations associated with the word. As we finish this Friday, I encourage you to intentionally be vulnerable. Allow yourself to be soft and pliable so God can mold and shape you into His vessel. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, help me to be vulnerable in my relationship with You. Show me ways to be soft and pliable so You can mold and shape me into the vessel You would have me be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

In John 13:34-35 NIV Jesus directs us — A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

My high school composition teacher told our class, “The amount you love is dependent on how willing you are to be hurt.” I must say, when she first told us this, I brushed it into the corner of my mind not believing a word of it. However, as I lived and learned, I found she was exactly right. Truly loving someone requires vulnerability. As we have learned, being vulnerable means exposed and susceptible. This sounds terrible! However, letting down our protective fences, trusting others with our emotions, and sharing life’s ups and downs, can all be beautiful blessings. Loving one another is not easy, but loving others can be our greatest testimony of our relationship with Christ. Love is how others will know we are His disciple. 

Spend some time examining your relationships with others. Do others see the love of Christ in your interactions? Is it evident you are His disciple in your reactions and responses? Be aware today as you are around others. Be intentional about showing God’s love so others will know you are His disciple.

Let’s pray. Dear God, open my eyes to my actions and reactions. May all that I say and do today be done with love so others will know I am Your disciple. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

Galatians 6:2 NIV — Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Water walking Wednesday is an opportunity to intentionally take a step out of your boat of comfort and walk on water, allowing God to guide you toward His will. Water walking requires you to be vulnerable. A couple of synonyms for “vulnerable” are  exposed and susceptible. 

When Julie and I first began our Waterwalkers blog, our goal was to share our ordinary lives, full of struggles and storms, in the hopes that others would relate. We wanted you, the reader, to see that our Christian walk is not so different from your Christian walk. In order to truly show you that we are all similar, we had to let down our guard and be vulnerable. We had to walk on water and expose our flaws and failures. In return, all of you have shared our burdens and joined with us in prayer. Over the years, some of you have reached out to share your struggles with us so we may also share your burdens. That is what Christ calls us to do. Sharing struggles with one another requires us to be vulnerable and step out of our boats of comfort. Water walking is not easy, but God always rewards our step of faith with His grace and mercy. Let’s spend time in prayer asking God for guidance and direction, be vulnerable to His will, and then let’s go walk on water! 

Let’s pray. Dear God, guide and direct my steps. Reveal Your will, give me strength and courage, and show me when and where to step out of my boat of comfort and walk on water with You. Help me to lovingly carry the burdens of others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

James 1:2-4 NIV — Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Believe it or not, everyone has struggles. Everyone! No one’s life is perfect. If we allow it, our life on Earth is a constant learning lab, as we strive to be more like Christ. In the middle of difficulties, we often do not see how any good could possibly come from such storms. However, God never fails to use hardships to teach us and make us more Christ-like, if we allow Him. That is the catch, You and I have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable in order for God to mold us. We have to “let go and let God” lead us through the storms of life. Take a moment to listen to this song that is an oldie but goodie. “Eye of the Storm” by Ryan Stevenson reminds us that through the storms of life, God is with us. In the middle of difficulties we must lean into God, be vulnerable to His will, and trust that our perseverance will grow our faith.

Let’s pray. Dear God, help me to let go of control, be vulnerable to Your will, and trust Your guidance through the storms of life. May I allow You to mold and shape me to be more like Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.