But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway 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, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matthew 14:24-31
Isn’t it amazing how far God will lead us if we are willing?! In my previous post, we can imagine Peter launching out into the deep almost as a kind gesture. “Okay, I’ll do it, but I’m telling you we’re not going to catch anything.” He was not only willing to fail, but probably expecting it just to appease Jesus’ request and prove he knew what he was talking about. It was the obedience we discussed earlier with little faith to speak of.
Now we see a very different Peter who is still willing to fail, but this time he is willing to fail with a faith few have ever possessed.
In both cases he found himself in the midst of the sea. In both cases there were people watching. But now it didn’t matter. He was willing to do something no one had done before; something that couldn’t be done just to be where Jesus was. We don’t know how far Peter got. To be honest, it doesn’t matter. If only for a moment, Peter proved to everyone on that boat at God’s command, if we keep our eyes on Him, He will do things through us and with us that can’t be done. But we have to be willing to get out of the boat.
I could tell you that I have spent most of my life on the boat, but that would be a lie. Most of my life has been spent on the dock watching the boat go by. Getting past what people thought just to get on the boat was a big step. But I have seen God’s power. At times I have felt His love and Spirit consume me. I have wept at the thought of what He has done for me. And now it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or says; I don’t care if I fail.
I want to get off the boat and be where Jesus is. How ‘bout you?
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