Walking on water (part 7)

We’ve been looking at the story of Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14:22-33. In our last article we saw Peter get out of the boat in the middle of a storm and walk on water. We established that Peter was not actually walking on the water so much as he was walking on the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and that the same thing is true for all of us who desire to walk by faith – our faith should not rest in our ability to do impossible things, but in God’s word and promise to us.

Ultimately, faith is not a matter trying to believe impossible things are possible but rather believing that God keeps his word – that he “is not a man that he should lie.” (Numbers 23:19) Faith is being certain that God will do what he said he will do; that we can do what he says we can do; that we can have what he says what we can have; that we are what he says we are.

Notice also that the end of verse 29 says that Peter “came toward Jesus.” This too is very revealing. Peter was not only walking on the water based on a command from Jesus, he was also keeping his focus on the one who gave the command. Peter seemed to know instinctively that if he were going to walk on water, it would be because of Jesus – and so he kept his focus on Jesus. In the statement Peter had made to Jesus in verse 28 he said, “Command me to come to you.” Jesus was not only Peter’s support and inspiration he was also his destination.

This is a good thing for all would-be “water walkers” to keep in mind – if we are going to step out in faith on something God said, we had better keep our eyes on Him the entire time we are doing it. This principle is made even clearer when we read verse 30: “Seeing the wind he became frightened and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord save me!’” Even though Peter was actually walking on the water, he took his eyes off Jesus for a moment and immediately began to sink. Few verses in the Bible provide us with a better word picture than this one does. And the picture it paints for us is what doubt looks like in action.

On the one hand, this statement is rather ironic, since it implies that the wind is what caused Peter to fear and doubt. The irony is the wind didn’t have anything to do with whether or not Peter could walk on water. The fact is he wouldn’t have been any more qualified to walk on water if it had been perfectly calm. This is also very powerful because it tells us that we can fall into doubt without any rational, good reason at all. And we can be sure that if we are trying to step out in faith and trust God the enemy is going to throw all sorts of circumstances like the wind our direction.

Another thing that is powerful about this incident is that it did not happen the moment Peter stepped on the water. Verse 29 makes it clear that Peter actually walked on the water for a while before falling into doubt and beginning to sink. When Peter first got out of the boat he had just heard Jesus tell him, “Come.” But with each step he took, the freshness and power of Jesus’ command began to fade and so did Peter’s faith. And, with each step he took, the sound of the wind and the waves grew louder and louder in his ears, until finally they drowned out the calm, reassuring voice of Jesus that he had heard.

Anyone of us who intend to live a life of faith are going to have to “get out of the boat” at some point. We are going to have to leave the safety, comfort and companionship of others in the boat with us, and step out into a situation that all our senses tell us cannot support us. And when that time comes, our very lifeline will be whatever word or promise from God caused us to step out of the boat in the first place. Our real task in times like these is to keep our eyes and ears focused on God’s promise, and not let them wander even for a moment to the circumstances around us. If we can do that, we can be sure that the same word that “Upholds all things” (Hebrews 1:3) will hold us up as we walk on water!