Get Out of the Boat
“And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea,” Matthew 14:25
As far as I’m aware, Peter is the only man aside from Jesus to have walked on water. His time defying the laws of physics was short lived though. The moment he took his eyes off the Lord—looking at the impossibility of it all— and let fear grip his heart he started to sink. This story illustrates for us many aspects of the life of faith, from Jesus calling us out of our comfort zones to the faith which empowers us to accomplish the wildly unrealistic. The story also vividly illustrates how fear will sap a Christian’s power to do the impossible.
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased,” Matthew 14:28-32.
Let’s focus on the contrast between faith and fear. Faith empowers us to walk on water. Fear undermines our stability. Faith enables us to tread upon the chaos below. Fear sinks us into the darkness. Faith is attuned to the sound of Jesus’ voice while fear makes us forget why we left the boat. Faith looks past the circumstances. Fear sees nothing but wind and waves. Faith obeys the command to leave the comfortable while fear makes us second guess faith’s decision. Faith experiences the impossible, but fear focuses on the dreadful. Faith walks on water while fear drowns. There are a few other things to keep in mind as well. First, understand that Jesus has called you to walk with him on the water, so you should expect things to look and feel different from how they look and feel on the boat. Think of the boat as a picture of life as we normally experience it, operating under normal circumstances. Leaving the boat means to step outside of the normal and into the spiritual. It requires faith and is often offensive to reason. But just because things look bewildering or you feel disoriented doesn’t mean anything is wrong, it just means you’re no longer in the boat. You’ve left behind “normal” life. That said, know that you are not alone. Jesus calls you to where he is and is with you every step of the way. Also, and very importantly, even if your faith falters, Jesus stands ready to assist you. He hasn’t called you to walk on water in your own power but in his. While he won’t let you sink, he will rebuke you if you doubt. So what’s the next step? Get out of the boat and go to where he calls you!
Pastor John
“And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea,” Matthew 14:25
As far as I’m aware, Peter is the only man aside from Jesus to have walked on water. His time defying the laws of physics was short lived though. The moment he took his eyes off the Lord—looking at the impossibility of it all— and let fear grip his heart he started to sink. This story illustrates for us many aspects of the life of faith, from Jesus calling us out of our comfort zones to the faith which empowers us to accomplish the wildly unrealistic. The story also vividly illustrates how fear will sap a Christian’s power to do the impossible.
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased,” Matthew 14:28-32.
Let’s focus on the contrast between faith and fear. Faith empowers us to walk on water. Fear undermines our stability. Faith enables us to tread upon the chaos below. Fear sinks us into the darkness. Faith is attuned to the sound of Jesus’ voice while fear makes us forget why we left the boat. Faith looks past the circumstances. Fear sees nothing but wind and waves. Faith obeys the command to leave the comfortable while fear makes us second guess faith’s decision. Faith experiences the impossible, but fear focuses on the dreadful. Faith walks on water while fear drowns. There are a few other things to keep in mind as well. First, understand that Jesus has called you to walk with him on the water, so you should expect things to look and feel different from how they look and feel on the boat. Think of the boat as a picture of life as we normally experience it, operating under normal circumstances. Leaving the boat means to step outside of the normal and into the spiritual. It requires faith and is often offensive to reason. But just because things look bewildering or you feel disoriented doesn’t mean anything is wrong, it just means you’re no longer in the boat. You’ve left behind “normal” life. That said, know that you are not alone. Jesus calls you to where he is and is with you every step of the way. Also, and very importantly, even if your faith falters, Jesus stands ready to assist you. He hasn’t called you to walk on water in your own power but in his. While he won’t let you sink, he will rebuke you if you doubt. So what’s the next step? Get out of the boat and go to where he calls you!
Pastor John