Faith in Jesus Christ

In this episode, I share one of my favorite stories from the New Testament—Peter walking on water—and how it has deepened my understanding of faith during fearful moments. I also talk about two personal experiences on the lake that taught me what it really means to stay anchored in Christ when life feels unsteady.

Whether you’re navigating a storm or just need a reminder that the Savior is near, this episode will help you see that even a small act of faith can invite His power into your life. You’ll hear how prayer, humility, and trust can make faith bigger than fear.

Quote:
"When you reach up for the Lord's power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping or gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours."
—President Russell M. Nelson

Journal Prompts:

• What experience have you had when your faith in Jesus Christ brought you peace?
• Is there a circumstance that causes you to feel more fear than faith?
• What do you need to make your faith bigger and your fear smaller?

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Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Shine On Podcast with Becky Schettler. I am recording this early in the morning again. I like to picture that you're sitting here on the couch and we're having a little morning devotional to talk about faith in Jesus Christ. I love the story of Jesus walking on the water. Where the disciples are out on the water and it's windy and stormy, and they are feeling afraid. I'm just gonna read this from Matthew chapter 14, starting with verse 25 through 32:"And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled saying: It is a spirit, and they cried out for fear. But straightaway, Jesus spake 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 stretched forth His hand and caught him and said unto him, oh thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." I love this story because it reminds me when I have felt afraid. Like Peter, I've had some experiences on a boat on the lake when it has been very scary, the wind and the waves, and I have felt some of my most fearful moments at that time. I remember a time when my kids were quite young and we were on a houseboat, and the wind picked up at night. My husband turned the houseboat on, so the engines were propelling the boat into the shore to keep it anchored and grounded. Otherwise, if it got off, then we would be tossed in the waves and it would cause a lot more damage. So when the wind picks up, the best thing to do is stay anchored, and to stay on shore, and to feel grounded to something stable. There's a lot of spiritual lessons in that. In that situation, I found myself gathering the kids and the families and praying and teaching my children that when we feel scared, our best lifeline is prayer and to ask Heavenly Father for peace and rescue when we need help. Years later we had another experience on the lake. We were upstream about 16 miles very far away from any help. We were on an early morning ski ride. It was about seven o'clock in the morning. It was on the 4th of July, so everything was closed and very little access for help. My daughter was skiing and she dislocated her shoulder. This was actually the second time she had dislocated her shoulder. Like six years before she had had a dislocated shoulder and she'd gone to the doctor and he had, put it back in the socket for her. So she'd had one experience and at this time it had happened again. In this situation we had very little medical help. And all we had was the power of heaven to help us. And so, I offered a prayer and my daughter and her husband together talked through how to navigate putting her shoulder back in the socket. And they were able to do it where she felt that relief and it was back in the joint. It was painful, it gave her a chance to get home where she could get more help. Through my life, I have learned that we can always exercise our faith in the power of God by asking or calling out to Him, depending on our situation. Each day we can take our agenda and the things that we have planned and invite Him to go with us, to be with us, to help us navigate some of the hardest things that we face. I know that our faith can overpower our fear. Even our smallest effort to ask or open up or be humble to receive the Lord's help. Any effort counts. I love to think of faith bigger than fear. You might feel both at the same time, but you can choose which one you want to act on. President Nelson said,"when you reach up for the Lord's power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping or gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him, when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life, you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do." I like to end my podcast with some journal prompt questions. The prompts go like this: What experience have you had when your faith in Jesus Christ brought you peace? Is there a circumstance that causes you to feel more fear than faith? What do you need to make your faith bigger and your fear smaller? Thanks for listening and opening your mind and heart to this message about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not a coincidence that you have found the Shine On podcast. I believe God is in the details of our lives and you are meant to be here. He wants you to shine His light by sharing your stories of faith with your loved ones.