Faith in the water

A few days ago, the spirit prompted me to read the story of Peter in Matthew 14. It’s one of the most common stories in the bible yet it is so rich in wisdom if we will just examine each part of it. Today i’m sharing what the Lord revealed in my heart, as well as what I learned and re-learned by studying this story. “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew‬ ‭14:22-31‬ ‭CSB‬‬ They didn’t recognize Jesus I asked myself “how can they not recognize Jesus when they have spent a lot of time with him?” Don’t we recognize people we always spend time with? I mean, most of us would recognize a friend even from a far. But these disciples didn’t. And the most surprising part is, there were many of them on that boat. But not one of them recognized their Lord. They even called Him a ghost and cried out in fear. Why? Because storms blur our vision of Jesus Isn’t this always the case? When things are going just the way we planned or imagined, we see God clearly. We see how His hands move in all areas of our lives. “Hallelujah!” Is what we always say. But what about when our boats are battered by the waves and when the wind goes against us? There are unpaid bills, loss of a loved one, piled up debts, betrayal of a friend and life threatening sickness. When different storms of different degree come our way, can we still say “Hallelujah, anyway”? Only Peter had the courage “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” There were a lot them on that boat, eight, maybe ten, or probably more. But only Peter had the courage to ask the Lord to command him to come and walk on water. What a bold faith! “But why only him?” I asked myself. Why out of them all only Peter had the courage to ask? I think the answer lies in His level of trust. I think, in all of them, Peter was the one who have walked closely with the Lord. Because we won’t trust people we don’t know. Peter, out of them all knows Jesus intimately. That’s why it is evident in this story that his level of trust is different from them all. So he walked on water, until.. He took his eyes off of Jesus It was just a split second I believe. Peter made a tiny mistake by looking at the wind and its strength. So He took His eyes off of Jesus, and he sank. What a huge difference focus makes! There’s a reason why the bible tells us in Hebrews 12:2 “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” When our eyes are fixed on the storm, and meditate on its strength and damage it could cause us, we will sink deep down into the water. But when our eyes are fixed on the Lord, we can walk right above it. So where are your eyes fixed on?  What I learned I heard the Lord speak in my heart “Peter didn’t trust the one who called him. Do you?” I guess just like Peter, most of us don’t trust Jesus when He calls us to step out of the boat. After all, storms of life are too intimidating to walk straight into the middle of it. That’s why you don’t look at the wind nor the waves. You only look at Jesus. I figured, the Lord never said, “Ignore the wind, don’t mind the waves” He only said “Fix your eyes on Me”. Because the storm, wind and waves will always be there. The Lord recognizes the strength of it and knows the damage it can give us. Didn’t He say “In this world you will have many troubles”? (John 16:33) Jesus never denied the presence of trials in this life. Yes He knows it, but more than anything, He knows His strength. The strong winds can never equal His power. He is beyond and above it. That’s why in His word He says.. “but take heart, I have overcome the world” what a great promise the Lord gives us! We are victorious despite any trials because He already overcame! He already won everything for us! 

I also re-learned the importance of walking closely with Jesus. When the winds of life is blowing hard and the rain keeps on pouring, it blurs our vision of God. We even accuse Him of His absence in our suffering. But this isn’t really the case. God is there, even more present than the storm around us. But the eyes of our heart doesn’t see things clearly when it’s covered by fear, doubt and pain. So let’s keep walking closely with the Lord. Because It is only through an intimate walk with Him will we grow in trust and recognize His presence in the middle of the storm. 

If you are reading this post and you know that are in the middle of a storm, I hope that you won’t let the waves intimidate you. Nor let the wind keep your eyes away from Jesus. I pray that that you will not let your deep seated fears and worries drown you. And it is my prayer that you will walk so intimately with Jesus, so that when He calls you to walk into the water, you will have the courage to do so and have faith in the water.