As believers, we’ve all been there before. We’ve all had a moment where our faith was tested, whether it was holding back our words that could possibly hurt someone or controlling those sinful thoughts that try to creep into our mind. It could have also been that moment when Jesus told you let go of what was hurting you and to simply trust Him. Perhaps, you did not want to trust Him because you felt your problems were too big for God to solve. You looked at the storm and thought, “But how will God solve this?” Well friend, you are not alone. Peter has been there before, and there are two points I want to make from these verses presented below:
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.”
“Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:28-31
1. Peter stepped out of the boat.
Peter told Jesus to tell him to come to Him on the water, and Jesus did, in fact, tell Peter to come to Him. Peter stepped out of the boat and starting walking to Jesus. Okay, this may not seem like such a big deal if you just skim past this verse, BUT Peter got down out of the boat. He had enough faith in Jesus to step out of the boat, and he did the impossible. He walked on the water. This should encourage us as Christians to take that step of faith when it comes to Jesus. Peter walked on the water because his eyes were on his source of power — Jesus. Many times we only hear sermons about when Peter started to sink, but Peter actually had enough faith to step out of the boat in the first place. Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and take that leap of faith? When Peter stepped out of the boat, he did what many would consider impossible by walking on the water. Imagine what you could do if you simply took that one step. Of course, you are going to have those what if thoughts, but take those thoughts captive and know that you are a child of God. If God is for you, nothing can stop you. The only person that can stop you is you. Jesus just wants you to take that one step. That one step is all takes, and He will carry you the rest of the way.
2. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus.
Peter saw the winds and became scared. In that split moment when Peter starting sinking, he assumed that the waves and winds were too big for Jesus to control. Instead of focusing his eyes on Jesus, he looked at winds and became scared and started to sink. I remember at church camp one year we were doing high ropes, and we had to walk across a log while we were thirty feet in the air. We were attached to cables by a harness so if we fell, we would not fall on the ground. We would sort of just hang there. Someone was on the other side waiting for us, and that was our motivation to finish. The person on the other side kept repeating, “Just keep your eyes on me.” Afterward, I realized that is how Peter was in the storm. I had to keep my eyes on the person on the other side because when I looked down and realized how high I was, I would panic. When I would focus my eyes on that person, it seemed as though all of those problems faded away. When I kept my eyes on that person, it enabled me to walk straight without wavering from side to side. That is what Peter did. At first, he had his eyes on Jesus, but when he looked at the storm, he began to sink. So many times in life we look at our circumstances rather than the One who can fix them. Some may think, “But what if Jesus does not help?” Notice, the storm does not calm down until Jesus got into the boat. Peter walked on the water while the storm raged on. Sometimes, Jesus does not remove the problems in your life how and when you want Him to. Instead, He shows up and walks through the storm with you to let you know that you are not alone.
All Jesus wants is for you to take that one step of faith and walk out on the water with Him. Be encouraged by this article and know that you are not alone in the midst of your chaos. Jesus is watching and listening. He sees every tear that falls and hears every prayer you pray. Just trust Him to bring you through the storm. Sometimes, He will not remove you from the storm — He’ll just walk with you through it.
