What God has done is meant for daily consumption not special occasions.

Peter sees someone who looks like Jesus walking toward him on the water. He says, “If it is you, Lord, command me to get out of the boat.” To which Jesus says, “Come on out, the water is fine.”

Up to this point, Peter had seen Jesus do countless miracles, including just a few hours earlier watching Him calm a raging storm and whitewater type waves in an instant. Peter saw God work. The question was, would he remember?

Part of the definition of stress is to experience something new to you where the possibility of failure is quite real. Peter was experiencing something new – walking on water. And there was a real possibility of failure – drowning. Peter was stressing out!

Stress reduction, however, is to remember what God has already done; thus it’s not new. Peter had just seen Jesus exert power over storms and waves. Jesus was now asking him to remember that fact. Peter couldn’t fail because Jesus had already done it! Walla, peace instead of stress.

Just like Peter, we stress out when we forget what our God has already done. And this stress leads us to make all kinds of stupid choices, like drowning in our drugs of choice – short-term pleasure (sin).

The Psalmist commands us to “be still and know that God is God.” We are to have long memories through remembering what He has already done. He can do it again.

My friends, it’s time to stay out of the boat to keep knowing our God in new and fresh ways.