Matthew 14
Peter walked on water. Let me repeat it, Peter walked on water. This is one of my favorite accounts in all of the Bible. The amount of pure, trusting, powerful faith it took to get out of that boat and walk on water, knowing that it has no properties to support a human, is amazing. Peter wanted to trust in Jesus, but Peter also trusted in himself, and so, Peter also sank.
We don't know how far Peter walked before he took his focus off Jesus and began to sink, but when he started paying attention to the wind and waves, the miracle was over. He sank because water isn't designed to hold us up. It was Jesus who was holding Peter up.
Perhaps, like me, you find yourself more like Peter than you'd like to admit. Too often, I trust in myself and my understanding and rely on the water to hold me up. That's when I start focusing on the wind and waves more than Jesus. It's not that I lack faith; it's just that the winds and waves are more real to me. Water isn't designed to hold you up, but Jesus is.
I don't think Jesus spoke in an angry tone to Peter. I think Jesus' tone was more like pity. Jesus was sad that Peter lost his confidence in Him and didn't experience the full measure of the miraculous moment. But Jesus didn't let him drown; Jesus reached out to lift him from the waters. He will do the same for you if you only look to Him for rescue when your faith is floundering. And let's be honest; we all have moments of floundering faith.
My favorite part of this account is that Peter walked on water twice that day. As he began to sink, he cried out to Jesus and was saved. They walked back to the boat together. Both times, Peter trusted in Jesus. If your life is a little stormy today, I hope you'll read this passage multiple times and find the hope it is meant to bring. I'm not sure what walking on water looks like for you, but Jesus does. The winds and the waves will always be there, but so will Jesus, standing amidst them, encouraging you to get out of the boat and come to Him.
May God bless you today as you seek to be a blessing. ~Jeremy
Matthew 14 reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2014&version=ESV
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