Immediately after feeding 5,000 thousand men (which likely included around 10,000 to 15,000 people, including women and children), Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead before Him while He went up to the mountainside to pray.
Let’s read the incident together.
Matthew 14: 22-33 (NIV)
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
It wasn’t even a few days when Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the five thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish. It was just that evening, and yet, on the very same day, His disciples were terrified when they saw Him walking on the lake. They thought He was a ghost and cried out in fear!
Among them, Peter was still doubtful, yet willing to do anything Jesus said – only if he was sure that it was Jesus!
We know this from the verse where he asked, “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water”, and Jesus replied, ‘Come’.
At that point, Peter’s faith in Jesus was unshakable because he has clearly heard Jesus’ voice telling him to come!
Without any doubt or fear, he immediately got out of the boat and start to walk on the water – over the waves!
Many times, when we are battling storms in our lives, the same thing happens to us. When we hear God’s assurance, we begin to walk on the waves, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Nothing scared us or bother us that very moment – as long as our focus is on Jesus!
Peter didn’t see the waves or hear the wind howling around him as long as his focus was on Jesus.
But while Peter was on his way across the water to meet Jesus, something went terribly wrong.
He got scared!
When he began to look around him and noticed the waves and the howling winds – things he and the other disciples had faced in the boat while Jesus was away – he became petrified.
That’s when Peter began to sink!
It wasn’t waves that sink Peter, but fear.
Just a while ago, he was walking on the waves and through the howling winds, but he began to sink on the very same waves he had walked on because fear set in!
Likewise, when you allow fear of the uncertainty to take a hold of you, you will begin to sink like Peter. Trouble often comes when you are on your way to prevent you from reaching your intended destination!
Peter was a professional fisherman all his life and definitely knew how to swim well – much better than many of us. But it seems the water currents and the waves were so strong that, despite using all his strength to stay afloat, he needed to cry out, “Lord, save me”.
And Jesus immediately pulled him out of the water.
When God calls you to come, He will take you through the very storms that scares you, until you are able to look the storms in the eyes and not be afraid anymore!
And like Peter, if you begin to sink, Jesus will pull you out again until you are no longer afraid.
No matter how bad your situation may look, it doesn’t really matter if Jesus is with you, because no situation or circumstance can stop Him from reaching out to you.
The winds and the waves obeyed Him. Nothing on this earth or in heaven can hold Him – nothing, not even death. He is the master of all!
Beloved, have you been trying so hard to pull through on your own lately?
Do you begin to doubt the journey you are on right now, questioning whether you really heard Him say, “Come”?
Is your situation like a “no way out”?
Have you have been fighting, pushing, and fumbling along, yet nothing budges?
There is a way out!
There is no situation too big or too small for God to handle!
You simply have to focus on Jesus, give it to Him, and trust that it’s been taken care of!
No matter how great or devastatingly bad your situation may seem, no matter how much in the creek you might be right now, Jesus can help you!
I know, it doesn’t seem as simple as it sounds!
But, the truth is: If you are willing to give it all to Him, it is simple! Because, nothing really matters when Jesus is around!