Jesus Walks on Water
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.
Matthew 14:22-32 New Living Translation (NLT)
We often feel it takes lots of faith to follow Christ. What would our reaction be if we were invited to join Jesus walking on a lake? First, we would have to believe in Him if He bid us to "come." The disciples saw Him walking on the water and thought He was a ghost. Just the sight of it scared them silly! Impetuous Peter, always the one ready to jump in a lake for Jesus, trusted that if our Savior could walk on water, so could he! He did walk on that water until he looked away from Christ toward the storm and began to fear and doubt. However, Peter didn't doubt that Jesus could save him, and Jesus did just that — "immediately."
There are many steps we take in life that require our faith in God. It may not be walking on water, but our desire to do something we don't think we can do can often be paralyzing. Sometimes we reach goals we thought impossible and sometimes we don't. Yet, God is there in either case to help us. He can become so pleased with our faith in His help that He grants us the favor to accomplish anything that we set out to do. He will also pick us up if we fall and save us if we fail. However, we will never know the extent of Christ's ability to help us if we doubt Him and don't try. It wasn't until Peter took His eyes off Jesus that he began to sink. As Peter trusted that he could walk toward Jesus on that water, he did. It should make one wonder how much we can do if we do not doubt but believe and trust God for everything.
For I can do everything through Christ,who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 (NLT)