And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 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. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:28-33)
The story of Jesus walking on water appears in three of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, John). But, only in Matthew do we also learn that Peter also walked on water!
How crazy must that have been to witness? Ever since Peter began to sink, some have criticized him. But, I have yet to see any of his critics repeat his feat. Examining Peter walking on water in response to Jesus’ walking on water, we learn eight things.
- Look for Jesus and keep looking to Jesus. Although a storm surrounded Him, Peter looked to Jesus. The only problem was that he stopped looking at Jesus. The principle is clear: especially when life is a tumultuous storm, look for Jesus and keep looking to Jesus. What does looking to Jesus look like for you?
- When Jesus commands you, obey Him. Jesus told Peter to “come” to Him on the water. Even though it made no sense, Peter did what Jesus said. This is what obedience looks like–doing what Jesus says. Is there any area in your life that you are not obeying the Lord?
- Faith is simply taking the next step. Peter took one step to get out of the boat and onto the water. Peter was doing just fine when he was focused on the next step, and got into trouble when he lost sight of his next step. What next step has Jesus asked you to take?
- Faith unleashes the supernatural. Peter did not experience the supernatural power of God that allowed him to walk on water until he trusted as evidenced by his actions. Is there anything you need to be doing differently in faith?
- Fear will sink you. When Peter had faith, he walked on water. When he had fear, he sank in the water. The same is true for you. Fear will sink you. Is there any fear that is gripping and controlling your decision making?
- Jesus saves you from many things. Jesus not only saved Peter from hell, but on this occasion Jesus saved Peter from drowning. What things has Jesus saved you from?
- A little faith is better than no faith. The Lord Jesus spoke of Peter’s “little faith”. This means that he was capable of even greater sustained faith. But, the guys in the boat apparently had no faith.
- You can choose to worry or worship. In an instant, the men went from worrying about their circumstances to worshipping their Christ. How is your worship of the Lord going?
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