Walking on Water

Remember the story of Jesus' followers being caught in a storm at sea? (Matt. 15.22-33).

In the middle of the storm they saw Jesus walking towards their boat, on the water.

At first, his followers think it's a ghost. But Jesus calls out to them.

In response, Peter calls back: "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water."

(vs. 28).

Initially Peter was fine. But then the wind "was boisterous" and kicked up waves, so Peter began to be afraid, and started to sink.

He shouted out: "Lord, save me!" (vs. 30).

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught him and said: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

In so many ways this story serves as a template for a walk of faith.

God's Son calls, we step out of the boat; we keep our eyes on him, and we start walking on water. It’s that simple. At least it should be.

But then the storm comes and the doubts and we're sinking. Oftentimes we start to sink because it feels like we're losing control. And in a real sense, we are.

Most days, I have no idea of what the day will bring. Neither does anyone else for that matter. That's reality on earth.

Most followers of God's Son, including myself, don’t like living with uncertainty. 

When something happens that appears to go against our plans, we tend to get anxious, or try to overcome obstacles on our own. Either way, there is no chance for change or adjustment because our eyes aren’t on God. Our eyes are on the things that are mucking up our plans.

The irony is, sometimes what we perceive to be an obstacle is actually God inviting us to get out of the boat and trust him.

But if we keep our normal mindset in place, life's obstacles become stumbling blocks instead of opportunities. 

On the other hand, with the correct vision, a follower of God's Son can choose to agree with what Peter later wrote about trials. He saw them as opportunities to draw closer to God as our faith is strengthened. And if anyone knew about trials, it was Peter. (1 Peter 1.6-7.)

It all begins with awareness. 

It begins with awareness that brings a new mindset. A mindset that allows for a follower of God's Son to keep their eyes on him and not on the thing that seems like an obstacle.

Yes there are trials. The apostle James says to "count it all joy" when we run into them. (James 1.3-4.) Make no mistake, life comes with challenges. However, it’s how they are viewed that makes all the difference. James says we can be joyful in trials by remembering they ultimately strengthen our faith and our character. 

We all stumble over this. We're not alone in this dilemma. Which is why James reminds us that if we don't understand the purpose of trials we can cry out to God for wisdom and receive liberal amounts of it. (vs. 5)

The apostle Paul (who knew a thing or two about facing challenges) wrote about the thing that he asked God to remove from his life three times. God didn’t. 

Eventually Paul got the bigger picture and quit asking.

Theologians have speculated on what was Paul’s “thorn in the side.” Was it something physical? Was it epilepsy? Was it something spiritual? But that’s not the point. The point was: Paul learned to view that “trial” from God's perspective and grew spiritually because of it.

Is there anything in your life, right now, that's challenging? Do you feel like your drowning? Be encouraged. God is right there, reaching out his hand to you, inviting you to walk on the water with him. 

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