Faith Develops
He was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land....In the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea....And Peter [asked] him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water. Matt. 14:23-29, RSV.
Peter could walk on water! Great stuff! Look at me, guys!
And that's when the trouble began. The most adventurous of Jesus' disciples did fine with water walking as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. But then, in good Peter style, he began to focus on himself and how well he was doing. It is at that point that he noticed the wind and the fierceness of the storm and his walking-on-water life of victory began to fall apart. And it didn't take much time.
As soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus, the source of his power, he began to sink. In desperation, he shouted out, "Lord, save me."
And He did! He would do so time after time as the great apostle struggled between the poles of faith and doubt. Jesus does the same thing in our lives as we move forward rather haltingly in our spiritual journey. There are days when even I "can walk on water." But other times I find myself sinking fast. The one constant is the availability of Jesus, who is ready to "save" at our request.
The scene in which Peter walks on water takes place after Jesus had sent the disciples away after the feeding of the 5,000. When He finished praying He went to meet His disciples, who were at that time battling a fierce storm. That is when Peter did his water-walking thing and learned the importance of keeping his eyes on Jesus.
But there is another, and even more important, truth in this storm incident. When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the storm miraculously stopped, and the disciples "worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God' " (Matt. 14:33, RSV).
That is the first time that the disciples give that title to Jesus, but it will not be the last. And with each repetition the title will have greater meaning as they ever more fully understand the identity of their Lord.
Their experience foreshadows ours as day by day we gain a fuller understanding of that Jesus who is the object of our worship and the source of our power.
He was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land....In the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea....And Peter [asked] him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water. Matt. 14:23-29, RSV.
Peter could walk on water! Great stuff! Look at me, guys!
And that's when the trouble began. The most adventurous of Jesus' disciples did fine with water walking as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. But then, in good Peter style, he began to focus on himself and how well he was doing. It is at that point that he noticed the wind and the fierceness of the storm and his walking-on-water life of victory began to fall apart. And it didn't take much time.
As soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus, the source of his power, he began to sink. In desperation, he shouted out, "Lord, save me."
And He did! He would do so time after time as the great apostle struggled between the poles of faith and doubt. Jesus does the same thing in our lives as we move forward rather haltingly in our spiritual journey. There are days when even I "can walk on water." But other times I find myself sinking fast. The one constant is the availability of Jesus, who is ready to "save" at our request.
The scene in which Peter walks on water takes place after Jesus had sent the disciples away after the feeding of the 5,000. When He finished praying He went to meet His disciples, who were at that time battling a fierce storm. That is when Peter did his water-walking thing and learned the importance of keeping his eyes on Jesus.
But there is another, and even more important, truth in this storm incident. When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the storm miraculously stopped, and the disciples "worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God' " (Matt. 14:33, RSV).
That is the first time that the disciples give that title to Jesus, but it will not be the last. And with each repetition the title will have greater meaning as they ever more fully understand the identity of their Lord.
Their experience foreshadows ours as day by day we gain a fuller understanding of that Jesus who is the object of our worship and the source of our power.
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