Walking on Water!

Walking on Water!

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And He said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (St Matthew 14:26-30)

As we enter into this portion of scripture, Jesus had just finished feeding the 5000. It was now time to go. Jesus instructed the disciple to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After Jesus dismissed the crowd, he did what he always did, he went seeking solitude. Jesus went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Just like Jesus, solitude or rather spending time alone with the Father should be an important priority in our lives. Spending time with God in prayer develops a vital relationship and equips us to meet life’s challenges and struggles. If we can develop the discipline of spending time alone with God, it will help us to grow spiritually and become more like Christ.

The disciples had left the shores of the Sea of Galilee near Bethsaida to go across the lake. Several hours after leaving the shore, they encountered a storm. High winds caused waves to beat against the boat. The disciples were in a full blown storm, a considerable distance from land. Some where around three in the morning, Jesus came walking on the water. When the disciples saw him, they were terrified, thinking he was a ghost. Jesus calmed them by saying “take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Peter spoke and said, “If it be you Lord, let me come”. Peter was in no way, shape or form trying to test Jesus, but he was instead, reacting to His words in faith. His spontaneous request led him to experience an unusual manifestation of God’s power. He too began walking on water. It was only when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus that he started to sink. He started looking at the wind and became afraid.

I am reminded of how so many times we are faced with storms in our lives. We just have a great encounter with Jesus…watching him work a miracle…paying a bill that we did not have the money to pay it with…healing a loved one dying of cancer…or delivering a family member that had been addicted to drugs, when suddenly we find ourselves sitting out on the water waiting for him to come to us. We may have never walked on water, but we have walked through tough situations. If we like Peter, focus on the waves of difficult circumstances around us without looking to Jesus for help, we too may despair and sink. If we are going maintain our faith when situations are difficult, we must keep our eyes on Jesus’ power rather than on our inadequacies. We must step out on the word of God, not in an attempt to test, but as a reaction in faith. This reaction will cause us to have an unusual manifestation of God’s power…something that would seem equivalent to walking on water!!