What holds us back from taking a leap of faith? Fear? Lack of trust? For Peter, it was faith that helped him leap out of the boat and walk on water. Matthew 14:22-29 tells the story:
Fear
In spite of the storm lashing all around Him, Jesus walks across the lake, through the waves, and on top of the water. When He approaches the boat, the disciples, who are already scared because of the storm, are gripped with even more fear because they do not recognize Him. Now, before we wonder [and judge] how the disciples could not recognize Jesus, imagine what He might have looked like. In the darkness of night, His light-colored robes were most likely flowing and flapping in the wind, possibly concealing His face or making Him look much larger than He was. And even if they had been able to recognize Him, they had never seen Him perform the miracle of walking on water. Because He is gracious, Jesus doesn’t make them wait long to let them know they have nothing to fear, commanding them to take courage.
Peter’s Faith
Even though the situation elicited great fear, Peter, the zealous one, jumps at the opportunity to not only prove Jesus was who He said He was, but to also have the chance to walk on the rolling water himself.
Peter did not let fear stand in the way. He jumped into the waves with both feet, in faith, that Jesus was who He said He was. Without even taking a moment to second guess his decision, he jumped out of a completely sound boat and walked on top of the water in the middle of a storm and swelling waves. Wow! That is some pretty strong faith!
Did you happen to notice the most amazing part of this faith story? Peter asked Jesus to give Him the assignment! “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” Tell me to have faith and do this hard thing, Lord!
Our Faith
I don’t know about you, but this challenges me to look at my own faith. When was the last time I asked God to give me a hard assignment and give me the faith to walk the road? I have to say that it has been a long while. How about you? How long has it been? Maybe it hasn’t crossed your mind to ask? I mean, who wants to ask for hard things? Or when something hard comes our way, what is our response? For me, I tend to complain to Him about how hard the thing is. What if we thanked Him for the opportunity to experience this journey with Him or jump at the chance to grow in intimacy with Him as He walks the road with us?
I think that is where faith comes in. Trusting that God knows what is best for our lives – to refine us, grow our faith, and make us more like Him – will help us not only jump in with both feet, but also ask for Him to give us these opportunities to grow our faith story.
