28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,[d] 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, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
We've heard the message many times before - Peter sinks because he doubted that Jesus would carry him over the water; but I think sometimes it's easy for us to just quote it as a good story with a lesson rather than dig deeper into it's meaning for our lives. Have you ever thought about what it was that caused Peter to sink? Peter saw the wind. Peter saw that there were waves, that the water was deep and unsteady, and that he could be swallowed up by it at any moment. Immediately as Peter allowed his thoughts to go to those waves and their potential power over him, he lost the faith it took for him to step out of the boat.
Many of us as Christians have stepped out of the boat on many occasions: following the desires that God has placed in our hearts or even just the big step of accepting Christ as our Savior; but how long do your eyes stay on Jesus as you walk toward Him? See, Peter's journey to where Jesus was standing was likely only a few steps of faith across the sea, but it becomes an excellent metaphor for our journey in following Christ as our Lord and Savior. Each step is a chance for us to decide where our eyes are going to find their focus - is it going to be on Jesus or is it going to be on the ocean swirling beneath and around us?
I want to challenge you to think about what your ocean is. Is it financial trouble? Family problems? Health issues? What is it that continuously pulls your focus off from Jesus and causes you to sink in swirling waters? Take a minute and figure out what has had your attention more that Jesus has lately, and then continue reading.
The next step in your walk of faith across the water toward your Savior is to ask Him to open your eyes to His truth, love, and faithfulness; to establish in your heart a trust in Him that He is never going to let you sink. He will be your lifeguard, a stronghold for you to balance on as you walk across the waves. When you find your thoughts wandering to your ocean, immediately call on Jesus for peace and faith. Take a step toward Him and allow Him to keep you from sinking. I encourage you to find verses in the Bible that you can memorize such as Isaiah 26:3, "He keeps in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusts in Him." Make your time in the Word and in prayer a priority. As you do these things, watch yourself rise above your doubts and fear and walk toward Jesus on the water.
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