[blockquote]…30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him…[/blockquote]
Matthew 14:22-32
Many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus walking on water, Peter stepping out of the boat at Christ’s invitation, and Peter freaking out and sinking the moment he took his eyes off of Jesus. We’ve sat through the sermon in church, we attended a women’s bible study, and walked away feeling convicted and challenged. Perhaps we’re too familiar with this story that we have lost our awe and amazement at a God who can calm the raging seas and in the next moment ask us to step out onto them. I love this story for so many reasons. It’s a story of courage and failure, one of trust and fear, a story of the miraculous! Join me on the pages of Scripture…..
We meet Jesus and the disciples in this story immediately after He had fed the 5,000 from a mere 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. I feel that if I were one of the disciples, my faith would be at an all-time high at this moment. Yet, it appears that the very same night, we find them in a storm on the sea and very afraid. I suppose their reaction reminds me of my own fragile human state. God continues to prove Himself faithful all around me all of the time, but when the storms of life come my way, I find myself doubting and afraid, not trusting in His faithfulness.
So, let’s take a look at Peter. Although they all were afraid when they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them, it was Peter who responded to Christ’s invitation to “come”. Amidst the raging seas, he stepped out of the boat towards the Savior. Regardless of the fact that it took him just a few seconds to take his eyes off of Jesus, Peter did what many of us fail to do – he took that first step of faith, and in this case it seems more like a giant leap. It’s amazing to think what God can and will do with our lives if we would but trust Him with that very first step. What is it that you’re facing right now that God is calling you to trust Him with? Try as we may, we simple cannot cling to our “stuff” and take His hand at the same time. If we’re white knuckling fear and doubt, we can’t possibly cling to Him. He’s asking us to release it all to Him, and to trust that it’s far better off in His hands. That is what I love about this story. Jesus could have been disappointed in Peter’s instant lack of faith and fear of the waves around Him, but instead at the very moment that Peter cried out “save me”, Jesus reached out His hand. At this very moment, Jesus is offering His hand to you – His hand that holds the world, His hand that knit you together in your mother’s womb, His hand that was nailed to a cross out of love for you and me. He may be calling you out into a storm, but the comforting truth is that He’s there waiting for you, and He controls the strength of the storm. He’s extending His hand to you and me every day. Yes, it requires faith to reach out and grab it, but once we do, our lives are changed forever by His love. He’s calling out to you now, “Child, Take My Hand”.
Something about the way you unpacked this story has opened my eyes to things. I spent a lot of my life “in the boat” watching others walk to Jesus across the rough water but there are moments I can pin point in my life where I did take that step and trusted the Lord to save me if I began to sink. All of those moments, as few as they are, the greatest moments of my life– moments I will have forever to look back on and say “I learned so much from this” or “I never would be where I am today without that”. We fear losing what we have by stepping out of the boat when the truth is, there is greater life beyond what we see and know and are comfortable with– there is the unknown that Christ offers us, the challenging, the scary, the down-right painful sometimes… but out of all that blackness ALWAYS comes light, a light from within placed by Christ, that grows the more we reach out… now I feel like I am rambling, but I think I have made my point— which is I miss you and your beautiful insights into the Bible and the people inside of it. You have always been a breath of fresh air to my soul and I am so very thankful I stepped out of the boat and therefore allowed the Lord to introduce me to you. I love this blog– “Cherie, when Cherie cannot be there (physically)” I love it!
Another great message that hits home. Thanks for this Cherie!