April 7, 2015

A man from Minnesota wryly stated that walking on water is no big deal; folks do it all the time in the winter there. Walking on frozen water may not be a big deal, but walking on liquid water is.

"Immediately He (Jesus) made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side,while He sent the crowds away ... But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.'Peter said to Him, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' And He said,'Come!' And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' “ (Matthew 14.23,24-31) 

Astonishing as it must have been to Jesus’ disciples to see Him doing something so remarkable as walking on water, it’s equally remarkable to note that Peter thought he could do the same. And, he did, at least for a short time. His outrageous faith and impulsive attitude moved him out of the small boat into the open, raging sea. But then reality must have struck; his focus quickly moved from faith to fear. 

The lesson is basic but oh-so-important: faith works when we keep our eyes on Christ, but fear overcomes when circumstances become our focus. And that’s the take away for us each today: keep focused on Christ, and faith will accomplish great things. Focusing on circumstances leads to fear and disillusionment. 

Peter ought not to have been able to walk on water. The only precedent for such an action was right in front of him, but then this was the Son of God; He alone was capable, should have been the reasoning. But, something stirred within Peter that incited him to act outrageously. In spite of his momentary failure, at least he acted. The same cannot be said for the other disciples, who remained safely in the boat.

Better to falter while acting in faith, than to remain safely in our comfort zone. The great faith chapter, Hebrews 11, is all about those who chose to forego security for the adventure of faith, and they were commended for it (Hebrews 11.39-40)

So, what step of faith are you being called to take today? What does the Master want you to step out of the boat to do? Better to step out and risk sinking than to remain safely in the boat, risking nothing.  Taking that step of faith today just might be the beginning of the greatest adventure of your life. 

Steve

©Steve Taylor, 2015
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