Lessons from Peter's Walk on Water
This miracle is recorded in the Gospels of John (6:16 -24), of Matthew (14:22-33) and of Mark 6:45-52. —According to Matthew and of Mark, this miracle occurred directly after “feeding the five thousand” miracle took place. —John narrates that this occurred in the evening after the feeding of the five thousand people.
—This story is in three of the four gospels, but Matthew is the only one who includes this episode of Peter jumping out of the boat. —Each of our own experiences is important in understanding the impact of the story. But Matthew especially wants us to connect with Peter. To learn more about this narrative, I have outline few questions for us to think about.
1. —Why did the Lord call Peter out of the boat, and not the other disciples?
—The bible gives no other reason for the Lord’s call to ‘come’ other than Peter asked. —In his asking, Peter demonstrated a quality of faith that the scriptures repeatedly exhort us to:“keep on asking”(Mat.7:7)
Peter was the one who was willing to do when nobody was not willing. Maybe they were looking at their capabilities that they could never walk on water. —We should not be looking to the flesh – taking stock of our strengths, weaknesses, abilities and limitations – and not trusting on His Word. —We should not be saying ‘I can’t’ , instead of realizing that whether our can or can’t has nothing to do with it. Christ will give us the strength and ability we need to obey Him. The only way we will ever be able to take great steps of faith is to believe what the Word of God says.
2. —What did Peter ask for?
—He asked for Christ’s Word: “if it’s you…tell me…” He sought the Lord’s will first, before getting out of the boat. —The goal must always be obedience to the will of our Lord. —Peter must have still had some doubts as to who it really was, because he said, “if it be you Jesus”. —Without prayer, there will be no power, no life from God to reach loftier heights. We will only grow spiritually as we seek Him in prayer and feast on His word.—We need to have faith that prays and keeps on praying. —We need to look to Christ for His will, not our own. When Jesus said “come”, Peter put all his trust in God and went. His confidence was based solely on Christ’s word, not in his own strength.
3. What was it About Peter?
—It wasn’t being right that made Peter the one Jesus chose to carry on after Him. —It wasn’t his careful, diplomatic use of words, he blurted out some of the most foolish things. —Peter had to leave the boat and risk his life on the sea, in order to learn both his own weakness and the power of his God. If Peter had never taken the risk, he would never have learned the meaning of faith.
4. What is it About Us Today?
—Peter was willing to get out of the boat. Willing to speak. Willing to act. —Are we willing? Will we do what He’s called us to do? Will we speak when He prompts us? Are we willing to take the risks, trying to follow Him? —Let’s not be frozen in fear, but in faith, act.
—Peter’s walk on the water was not dependent on him ignoring the wind and the waves, but upon his trusting and obeying Jesus Christ despite the wind and the waves. —We need to learn to trust in Jesus and his way completely. We need to use the ability and strength that he provides - Ephesians 6:10-18
Conclusion
—Faith is not a passive trusting that God will come to us when we are down and out. —Faith is an active process of living a vital, full life – going places we would never go, loving people we would never love, living life to the fullest because we have met the Master. —We all have times we are afraid. And we all have times when we get out of the boat and walk toward Jesus. —Relationships are not possible without taking risks. We need to get out and reach out those who need a relationship with Jesus. In the moment of doubt, we should not forgot which is more powerful – the wind and the waves, or the Creator of all things?
