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Scripture
Matthew 14:22-34
Jesus Walks on Water
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I, Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Devotional
This story nestled into Matthew 14 is widely known. Its bold content has made it a favorite for movies, TV shows, and sermons alike. What I love about this story is that Peter didn’t just get out of the boat and head over to Jesus. Instead, he asked Jesus to call him onto the water. While everyone else on the boat is terrified that a ghost has approached them, Peter decides he will know if it’s Jesus or a ghost, by a single word, “come”.
At this point in the story, Peter isn’t even offering to get out of the boat, he just wants proof that the person on the water is Jesus, by being told to join him. In Peter’s mind, it only makes sense, that if Jesus was on the water, he would call his disciple to be with him. When Jesus provides the identity confirming word, “come”, Peter takes a huge leap of faith and gets out of the boat.
I imagine time seemed to stop still for Peter at this moment. His heart pounding with faith as waves lick his toes perched just above the water's depths. The sea, the world itself, is at war around him but in that moment, all there is, is beautiful unfiltered peace born of great faith. As wind crashed waves before his feet, Peter let the fear of the circumstances slip into his heart, and just like that, the moment was gone, his body descending into the depths he was once held above.
Jesus, being the good and faithful shepherd, pulls Peter out of the water and asks him one painstakingly simple question: “why did you doubt?”
As a landlocked child who was in love with the ocean, I loved this story for the idea that if we trusted God, we could walk across the seas. As an adult, living with a chronic condition, I love this story because in Peter I see us. This beautiful moment between Peter and our Lord, is a beautiful dichotomy, of how we approach our faith while the storms of life rage around us.
What if we changed the story of Jesus walking on water to include us? What if we changed “Peter” to “I”?
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When God’s children saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I, Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” I replied, “tell me to come to you on the water”
“Come,” he said.
Then I got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when I saw the wind, I was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught me. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
You see, this story is so beautiful, and a favorite for many, because it’s inherently easy for us to relate to. In this story, we can see ourselves as Peter. Brave enough to ask God to call us, faith strong enough to take the first steps, but too afraid to continue following once we realize the danger of where we have been called.
This story applies to every aspect of our lives. A moment occurs where every part of our being is filled with the Holy Spirit and we cry out to our God. When he answers, beckoning us to draw near to him, we willingly take the first few steps. And then the evil one presents the fear of where this path could lead. Instead of remembering that our final destination is next to our God, we become blinded by the hard path we have to walk to get there. We wonder how we will afford somewhere to live and something to eat. We stress over paying medical bills and not falling into debt. We become fearful of a future that seems to lead us into harm; instead of remembering that we aren’t walking this path alone. The devil twists our perspective so that we see the waves crashing around us, instead of our God standing before us with an outstretched hand.
This story can show us the path we take when we are faced with a condition that forces us to live in trial in the long term. When trial presents itself we react in fear. We are the disciples on the boat, screaming that a ghost has come for us.
You felt this, didn’t you? The day your life changed because of one event? One health diagnosis? One mistake? That moment of feeling like a wave of doom was quivering above your head and you couldn’t do anything to escape from it.
And then, in a moment of remembrance, we decide to call out to God. We beg for him to reach out and bring us through our trial. We ask him why this is happening to us. We share our heartache and our anger. We pray that we will be brought close to him in these moments. Through our momentary surrender, we hear his call - “come”.
It’s not until we step out of the boat, trusting that God has beckoned us, that doubt begins to seep in. We lose focus on our call and instead, start to become aware of the storm. We see the heartache of our loved ones as they realize we have changed, we see the mourning of losing the selves we knew, we see those we thought were friends walk away, we see the endless days of trial ahead and we falter.
We wonder how a God who calls us to himself, who calls us his beloved and children, is the same God that allows us to be overwhelmed by the storm. And in our doubt, we fall. We fall into the depths of our fear, the anxiety of wondering if we will ever have a “normal” life. We fall into a lie that wants to end us, rather than into the truth that is for us. Even in the moment, where we doubt God’s faithfulness to us, he reaches out, picks us up, and asks “why did you doubt?”
Why do we believe that the God who was good to us before, is no longer the same good God within our trial? Why do we doubt God’s plan within these moments? Why do we doubt that he isn’t carrying us through our suffering?
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills -
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip -
he who watched over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you -
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm -
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
No matter the season, the storm or the depth of trial, our help comes from the Lord. The same God who we felt loved by when we saw him provide a blessing, is the same God who loves us when we see the face of trial. The same God who rejoiced in your delight of Him, now cradles your tears. The same God who used to watch you sleep peacefully through the night, is now whispering lullabies of peace as you wrestle through the night.
I think, in part, we doubt God’s goodness because we take the Bible for feel-good verses. Hear me out because I know you know what I’m talking about. The verses we find littering t-shirts, mugs, and postcards. The verses that we paint onto our graduation caps and recite to each other in an attempt to provide reassurance.
Matthew 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ my strength.
Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
These verses are inherently beautiful and make it so easy to understand why we seek fractions of the Bible to comfort us rather than considering the Bible as a whole. Instead of looking at the circumstances of what’s happening around these verses, we accept them as quotes meant to lift our spirits. But by doing so, we remove the value of the Gospel. We strip the story of God by removing the context and keeping the “feel-good”.
We have to know the reality of the Gospel, the entire story from creation to revelation, in order to understand how profoundly God cares for his children.
Friends, the Gospel isn’t a fun quote plaque you can buy from Target to make you feel better. It’s a recounting of very real people, just like you and I, who loved and lost, who saw trial and joy, who tried to draw near to their Lord, and sometimes gave in to their own fears.
Just as the Bible is full of verses that can make us feel comforted, it’s full of lessons about how hard this life may be. It shares story after story of God’s people fighting, dying, living in trial, and doubting God within their circumstances.
And the incredible part is that even when God’s people doubt him time and time again, He still shows up. And friends, he’s still showing up for you today.
Your walk in faith isn’t going to be Instagram-story perfect. It’s not going to be the picture that everyone will fawn over and secretly grow jealous of. Your walk towards Christ will be far from perfect, but it’s yours. It’s your story of how God is bringing you home, one prayer, one tear, one bold step of faith at a time.
This month, I invite you to walk on the water. Don’t let the fear of what has happened keep you from reaching out to your God. Don’t let the anxiety of what may come prevent you from asking God to share one word, “come”.
Friends, my prayer for you is that this month, you will turn your fear from being a place to fall, into an opportunity to walk towards Christ. My prayer for you is that you will ask God to beckon you and when he does, you will follow his call. You will hand over the unknown, you will ignore the devil’s plea to focus on the impossibility of the situation, and you will trust that even if you start to fall, God’s gracious hand will bring you back up again.
I know we can’t make our trials disappear. There is nothing we could do to personally remove the afflictions we’ve been given. But friends, it’s not our job to remove our trials. The things we think are working against us, may be the very things bringing our souls closer to our Lord. So be brave. Go. Be Peter, step out of the boat, and take that first step towards Christ.
Reflection
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I know this is likely the hardest thing I could ask you to do. Take a deep breath. Focus on the fact that God is for you and not against you.
In Matthew 14, Peter loses sight of Christ because of his fear of the storm around him.
What storm is blowing around you at this moment? What has happened in your life, what moment in time has allowed a storm to brew around you, growing bigger and bigger until it can tear you away from God?
I know this is hard, because even after all these years, I can’t share my storm without crying. The pain it holds is still that fresh.However, I also know that we have to face our storm and see it for what it is, in order for us to be able to overcome the fear and continue towards God.
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Consider your life at this moment. You likely already know the things that are causing you fear and anxiety but, do you know the things that are bringing you peace and joy?
Are you just aware of God’s goodness as you are the evil ones tricks?
Set a ten minute timer and commit to setting aside all of your trials during that time so that you can focus on the good things happening in your life.
Make a list of blessings to remind you of the wonderful and good things God has brought into your life.
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How have you altered how you live your life because of your fear of what will happen?
What do you avoid because you already believe it may not be possible?
I invite you to challenge your fear. How can you use your fear as an opportunity to turn towards Christ?
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One of the beautiful parts of the story of Jesus walking on the water, is that he invited Peter into that moment with a single word - “come”. Because of the power Christ gave a single word, we spent a lot of time considering it during this month's devotional.
What does the word ‘come’ mean to you?
How does a single word invite you into Christ’s open arms and beckon you into the storm?
How is God asking you to “come”?
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Prayer
The Bible is a gift to God’s children. It’s a sharing of the story of God, his people before Jesus, and the evolution of that relationship after Jesus fell and rose again for our sins. Within this beautiful gift, we get to learn, just as the disciples did so long ago, how to pray to our God.
I want to share Matthew 6:5-9 with you. It’s the address Christ gave before sharing the Lord’s Prayer with the Lord’s people.
Matthew 6:5-9
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
This, then, is how you should pray:
When you are ready, recite the Lord’s prayer with me. I know that everyone knows a slightly different version, but at the root, it is still the prayer given to us to worship our God. I will share it as it was written in Matthew 6.
Matthew 6:9-14
“ ‘ Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and glory, forever and ever,
Amen