Scripture:
Matthew 14: 25-33
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, [a]“Be of good cheer! [b]It is I; do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw [c]that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 Then those who were in the boat [d]came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Observation:
This is one of those stories everyone knows, and there are so many different ways to look at it. However, the bottom line is that it’s an amazing story. This moment comes on the heels of another miraculous moment when Jesus feeds a very large group of people with very little food. After doing so, HE sends HIS disciples to the other side of the lake while HE stays behind to send the people to their homes. Sometime in the middle of the night, Jesus sees that it’s time to catch up to the men HE had sent you to the other side of the lake. So what else does the one who made the heavens and earth do but start walking… but wait, these men are in a boat and… at this point, they are halfway across the lake. There is no impossible with GOD. As HE walks to them, the wind and waves continue to blow and splash against the boat. By the time the fourth watch comes, Jesus comes into sight, and HIS men are astonished. Not sure what to say or think the fear sets in, and they believe that they have seen a ghost. Wanting to set their hearts at ease, HE calls out to them, saying,” Be of good cheer. It is I, do not be afraid.” I love the way Peter responded to that statement. He never really seemed to have much fear of what he said… he just throws it out there. Sometimes, he is not thinking about what could very well happen when he does. So before he could catch his words, Peter says… ” LORD if it is you command that I come to you on the water.” So HE said ,”Come.” The entire story is wrapped up in the next two verses. At this point, Peter had absolutely no choice. He had asked Jesus to tell him to come, and Jesus did exactly that he couldn’t stay in the boat now. His words had gotten him into a situation that only faith in Jesus could get him out of. Stepping out of the boat had to have some fear involved. But that could not stop him at this point. Swinging his legs over and stepping down onto the water, he began to do the very same thing that Jesus was doing. Walking on the water. One step… then another… then one more… but the storm, what about the wind… are these waves going to trip me…. wait, I’m I really walking on water. As the waves crashed over his feet and the wind blew his hair. He got distracted. The Strom stood his attention from the one who said, “Come.” As it did, he began to sink. He cried out to Jesus, “LORD save me,” and of course, HE did. Reaching HIS hand to Peter Jesus pulled him to his feet, and they got in the boat. Peter’s faith started out strong but, in the end, had failed. As they got in the boat, the wind and waves stopped, and the LORD rebuked Peter, saying, “Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt? At that, the those who stayed in the boat and Peter worshiped HIM.
Application:
I’m sure we can all look at this like Peter. In fact, we all probably think of ourselves as peter. However, we have never really gotten out of the boat. We sit there watching others as they walk on water. Wondering what would happen if we swung our leg over the edge of the boat and stepped down… yet never take that chance. But let me ask you this… what were the names of the men who stayed in the boat and watched this all go down. Do you know who they are by reading this story… NO… you don’t… and all you hear about them in the end is that by watching what happened in Peter’s life, they worshiped Jesus knowing exactly who HE is at the end of it all. Listen, I don’t want to be the one stuck in the boat. I don’t want to be the witness of amazing things. I want to be right in the middle of them. I want my feet wet from the waves I just stepped out on. Knowing my savior has called me to HIM. Is it scary… I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. Do I know what I’m doing… I wish I could say yes… but I can’t. Have you ever walked on water? I believe Peter is the only one who could literally say yes. I’m just going to be honest. Having one leg over the boat is not the scary part. It’s when you put the pressure on your feet and take the first few steps that you start to think, am I really doing this. Am I walking on water. But here is the real quest. Can you keep your focus on Jesus when the wind and waves start to crash against your legs. Storms don’t stop because you get out of the boat. In fact, that’s probably when they will increase. The enemy does not want you to step into the calling GOD has called you to. He wants you to get discouraged and distracted. He wants you to focus on what’s going on areomd you and lose sight of the savior. Remember HIS command to…”COME” he is not a halfway savior. If HE starts something, HE will finish it. We just have to stay focused on HIM and lose sight of the storms of life they are not going to stop. But our focus can not change. HE has called us out of the boat. It’s time to put action to what we have been asked to do. Is it scary… well, of course it is. But it’s not about what we think it’s about placing your foot on the water and bearing down on what HE said. The question is not whether or not you think you can. The question is, do you believe what HE said.
Prayer:
Father, I know you won’t let me sink. You will always be right there. We can’t help but have some fear when we step out of the boat. We are doing things we have never done before. We know that fear us not from you. We know that you have told us to come to You. Help us to stay focused on the one who will reach for us when we call HIM. But more importantly, help us not to focus on the strom at all. Keep our eyes fixed on HIM. The one who said get out of the boat. Let us trust in your word. You will not leave us in the storm. We do not want our faith to fail. We do not want to sink. You are the author and finisher of our faith. Help us in this time of need where all we can see is the wind blowing us over and the waves against our feet. We trust that you said “COME,” and you had purpose for that. Fix our eyes on you. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.