Water Walking Faith

Pastor Carol Grace ♦ June 21, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Matt 14:27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

We all know the context of these scriptures.  Jesus had just fed the crowd the loaves and fishes and he had told the disciples to go to the boat while he went to a mountainside to pray.  Just before morning a storm sent the boat far from the shore, and Jesus began to walk upon the waves toward the boat.

Peter saw the Lord and cried out, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come.”  At that point Peter’s faith was strong enough to overcome the law of physics and he jumped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus.

Of course, what we all focus on is Peter beginning to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked his circumstances square in the face.  What was he thinking?  The waves were lapping up over his ankles and he looked down and began to sink!

I’d like for you to think about four things as we conclude our reading:

1. Jesus had just spent hours communing with His Father.  Is it possible this amount of time in prayer is what enabled Jesus and Peter to defy physics?
2. We always focus on Peter’s brashness in jumping out of the boat and even his lack of faith when he begins to sink, but we need to remember at that moment his faith was at an all time high. Why not jump out of the boat?
3. My friend Linda reminds us that, “Ya’ll, Peter walked on water!”  Have we heard this account so many times that we forget Peter did something no one other than Jesus has ever done?
4. When Peter was sinking, Jesus reached out to him. 

Before Peter’s circumstances caused him to lose faith, his faith caused him to overcome his circumstances and walk on water.  May each person reading this today have increased faith to “walk on the water” of your circumstances by keeping your eyes firmly upon the One who stills the waters.  And, may you each be away that Jesus is always ready to reach out to you.

Prayer:  Father God, today we come to you in awe as we see that if we keep our eyes on you our faith can keep our heads above the waters of our circumstances.  Let it be.  Amen.