Have you ever read the story of Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water, and wondered what it must have been like? How difficult was it to walk on something that was constantly moving? Did Jesus get knocked about by the wind and waves? It’s an intriguing story, and even more fascinating because it happens at night, in a strong adverse wind.
Matthew records that Peter’s attention was diverted by the wind (Matthew 14:22-33). He became afraid and started to sink. Peter called out to Jesus, and immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. But Peter should never have doubted. Jesus was right there with him.
What if…
What if Peter had kept his eyes on Jesus? What if he had paid no attention to the wind? Mark records that the disciples were struggling against the wind in the boat. Jesus was walking on the water, and it was Jesus’ intention to actually pass them by (Mark 6:47-48)! He was going to continue ahead of them to the other side.
In fact, it was easier for Jesus to walk on the water, than for the disciples to make headway in the boat! If Peter had not been distracted by the wind and had his moment of sheer terror, could Peter have, in fact, continued walking with Jesus on the water, all the way to the shore?
Could it be that it was Peter’s lack of faith, and taking his focus off Jesus, that brought them back to the boat?
It’s time to get out of the boat
Today, Jesus is issuing a new invitation to each one of us. He’s inviting us to get out of our man-made boats and join Him out on the water. These boats are things of human effort, human thinking, human methods and limited human resources. It’s time to get out of the boat.
Jesus is saying, “I’m not in the boat any more. I’m out on the water. Come and join me.” Do you hear Him?
And yes, that means we will have to face leaving the security of what we have built around us. And that is incredibly scary. After all, we are used to our boats, and they have worked fine for us up until now. The problem is that they are limited and will only take us so far. God wants to take us way further than what our own boats will allow us to go.
Being out on the water is also a very vulnerable place to be. There’s nothing to hold on to out there on the water – except Jesus. But that’s the whole point! He is the only One capable of seeing us through. And He is the only One we need.
What is your “boat”?
Each of us has a different “boat” that we’ve built around us. And many of the things our boats are made out of, are good things. They have helped us tremendously in the past. But God is calling us to a fresh level of faith and trust. We cannot move forward by staying in an old “boat”.
So why not ask God what boat He is asking you to step out of. Simply being aware of what our boat is, is the first step towards freedom. Know that He is with you on the water. If you find yourself in difficulty like Peter did, just as He did with Peter, Jesus will immediately reach out and catch you. He will not let you sink.
And, contrary to what you may think, it’s actually easier to make progress out on the water with Jesus, than battling against the wind in your boat. That’s what Mark’s account of the story suggests.
Where are you in the story?
So why not take a moment to assess where you are in this story. Perhaps you see yourself battling away in your own boat against some adverse winds where you don’t seem to be making much progress, and have decided something needs to change. Perhaps you are already in the process of jumping out of the boat because you just want to be where Jesus is. Or maybe you are Peter. You’ve made the leap of faith, but have somehow lost sight of Jesus for a moment and have had a moment of sheer terror. All you want to do is run back to your boat.
Wherever you see yourself, Jesus is reaching out His hand to you and calling you to join Him. With Him, you can walk on water!
