"Don't be afraid, take courage. I am here"

28 Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water."
29 "Yes, come," Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong* wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT)

How many times have you and I fallen flat on our faces? How many times have we been going along, practically walking on water, when........BAM!! The floor falls out from underneath us!! There is a great song by Casting Crowns that’s says, “Be careful if you think you stand, you just might be sinking”. These lyrics are taken from I Corinthians 10:12 (NIV), “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall”. How many times do we think our faith is strong only to realize that we are just a quivering mess when things start to go wrong?

Let’s face it, it’s easy for us to have faith when everything is going right. When money is good, the job secure, I am healthy, and my relationships are strong and intact it doesn’t take much faith for me to get through each day. As a matter of fact when things are good I tend to get a little prideful and neglect my time with God.

In today’s opening verses from Matthew 14 we see an astounding example of how Jesus operated and what He expected of His disciples concerning their faith. A few verses previous to ours, Jesus had sent the disciples away in a boat so He could spend some quality alone-time in prayer. The disciples got caught up in a storm out on the lake and attempt to gain control over their boat. Now these men were fishermen and they were used to this but what they saw next freaked them out! Around three o’clock in the morning they witness Jesus coming toward them......walking on the water!! They were terrified and thought He was a ghost. This is when Jesus says to them, “Don’t be afraid, take courage. I am here.”

This is when Peter exclaims that if it is really his Master to tell him to come to Him, walking on the water as well. The biggest offense here is not that Peter and the disciples thought that Jesus was a ghost but that they underestimated His power. It probably never occurred to them that Jesus could know of their peril and walk on water to reach them and help them.

Don’t we do the same thing? I know I do. Whenever I am caught up in a storm that life sends my way I freak out, not realizing that Jesus is there for me just as He was 2000 years ago for Peter and the disciples out on the lake. It’s important to also note that Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter for suggesting that he walk on water as He did. After all Jesus was training His disciples to not just reiterate His oral teachings to others but to also have the faith to demonstrate His authority in their daily lives as well.

Once Jesus gave the command to Peter to walk on water all that was needed was for Peter to trust in Him and obey. Peter does indeed step out of the boat and start to walk toward Jesus but what happens next? When does Peter fall? Not when he had his sight fixed on Jesus but when “he saw the strong wind and waves”. The lesson here is that when our world falls down around us we need to remain fixed on Christ and not the strong wind and waves that threaten to sink us. Peter was doing just fine when he trusted in Jesus but when he looked at the situation around him and underestimated the power and authority of Jesus he fell.

The last lesson I would like us to learn from this is that while Jesus was disappointed with Peter’s lack of faith, it was Peter that actually took that step while the other disciples sat there looking on. Peter acted in greater faith than they did and he was learning each time he did it. Faith cannot be worked up by any numbered process or formulaic approach. Faith grows through the various trials and tribulations that we face as we continue to trust Jesus and as He continues to teach us. In other words, faith grows out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and in no other way.

Next week we will compare and contrast what it looks like to view things with the eyes of fear versus the eyes of faith.
Until then, have a great week and may God bless you!