“And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’”
– Matthew 14:26-30
![]() Yesteray we talked about doing the things that Jesus did and how that was and is an important part of being a disciple of the Rabbi. Today, I want to give you a specific illustration from one of my favorite Biblical heroes, Peter. In the story above, I think it’s unfortunate that good ol’ Peter always gets a bad rap, especially when he was the only one who actually got out of the boat in the first place! You see, Peter understood that if his Rabbi could walk on water, he should be able to do it too. This is why he didn’t give it a second thought; he hopped out of the vessel and started moving toward Jesus…that is until he thought about what he was doing. As he slowly began to sink, the Lord pulled him up and said to him, “Why did you doubt?” Far from being an attack on his faith in general, I believe the question the Rabbi was asking His energetic disciple was, “Why did you doubt that you could do what I did?” Friend, be like Peter and step out of the boat! If your Master leads you onto waters that are uncertain or that require an extraordinary measure of faith, don’t hesitate to follow Him there. Since you were chosen to be His disciple, you can do what He did and even greater things — just believe that you can. Begin building your faith muscle and pray for eyes that see and feet that swiftly move when He orchestrates a divine assignment. You are a conduit of the power of Almighty God, sent on assignment by His Son, and that call is irrevocable! |
Prayer
I pray for courage and faith, Jesus, to step out of the boat when you lead me onto the water. I believe I can do whatever you did as long as I stay focused on you.
Reflection
When was the last time Jesus called you to get out of the boat? Did you obey? How might He be beckoning you onto the water right now?