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Walking on Water

Hello, friends! Today, I want to talk about a very well known passage, but I want to talk about a few reflections I have learned from it over the past few months.

This passage has been repeated to me over the past few weeks; it was in my devotional, a sermon preached at my church, and also mentioned in a church meeting I had a couple days ago. We are focusing on Matthew 14:22-32, Jesus walking on water.

To get a quick summary of what happened in verses 22-27, Jesus sent His disciples to get into a boat as He wrapped up His message to a large group of people. He went up to a mountain alone to pray, and when He came back, He noticed the boat was far from the land and there was a raging storm. He walked on water to go to His disciples, and they thought a ghost was approaching them. Jesus said to them, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Matthew 14:28-32 says, “And Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”

Four things that stood out to me when reading this passage…

1) The power of focusing on Jesus and avoiding distractions. In this passage, the disciples are scared for their lives. When they saw a figure walking towards them, the fear they allowed into their hearts in this moment blinded them from seeing Jesus.

Doesn’t this happen to us though? We have a million things on our to-do lists, work consumes our entire days, classes/school stress us out so much to the point that we can’t even think about finding Jesus in these storms of ours.

In verse 29, it says Peter walked on water and came to Jesus BUT in verse 30, it says he looked away at the wind and waves and began to sink.

Isn’t the imagery in this passage so amazing? As soon as Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. When Peter began to focus on his surroundings, fear took over. Just as I mentioned in my latest post, I began classes this week, and my focus has not strictly been on Jesus. As I went through my day, my mind raced with so many lists and homework assignments I have to do, which filled me with anxiety. Just like Peter, when I began focusing on the distractions around me and not on my Savior in front of me, my peace got replaced with fear and anxiety.

Although a 5 point homework assignment and a huge sea storm are immensely different, both teach us the value of remaining focused on the Lord. As much as God loves to bless us with peace and joy, it doesn’t mean it goes uncontested. The enemy is always trying to divert our attention and scatter our minds with distractions. It doesn’t matter what distraction he can place in front of you, as long as he takes your eyes off of Jesus. This is why it is so important to truly remain constant in Him, no matter what our outside looks like.

2) Peter got out of the boat. This was something I heard from a serve team meeting. There were more people in this boat, but Peter was the only one that got out. The others allowed their fear to consume them and prevent them from witnessing a miracle of walking on water.

I am pretty sure Peter was not eager to get out of the boat in a raging storm such as this one, but when he got out, he was able to be a part of a miracle. This is what happens when we choose to allow God to guide us rather than our own comfort or fear. Peter (literally) stepped out in faith, and a miracle was provided to him.

3) It took Peter one second to forget how he got to Jesus. In verse 31, Jesus says to Peter, “You of so little faith.” Usually when people read this, their first thought is that Jesus was being harsh to Peter. I know I thought that at first; however, Jesus was not being dismissive to Peter, and He wasn’t trying to belittle Him. The word “little” translates to “young” or “inexperienced”. Technically, He is telling Peter his faith is not fully developed.

A faith that is fully developed is a lasting and enduring faith. I want to mention the fact that Peter walked on water to get to Jesus. He had to get out of the boat and take a few steps to meet Jesus. But when he reached Jesus, instead of remaining constant in that state of faith, he took his focus off of Jesus and placed it on the distractions around him, and he began to sink.

I find myself in this instance. The Lord has provided to me so many reasons as to why I should never doubt Him. Scripture tells us that we should never doubt Him, but He performs miracles in our lives anyway. For Peter, it took one second for him to forget how he got to Jesus. Because Peter looked away from Jesus for a moment, he forget the miracle that God had just performed in his life.

4) When Jesus is welcomed, peace is also welcomed. Chaos is dismissed, winds cease, and calmness arises. If you are ever stressed or feel anxiety levels rise, a short conversation with the Lord allows calmness and peace to circulate through your mind. There is a reason why He is called the “Prince of Peace”. 2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This means freedom of depression, anxiety, fear, chaos, addiction, disorders, suicide, etc.

If He holds the power to calm the storm on the sea, He holds the power to calm the anxiety rising in your mind. If He calls Peter to walk on water, He can call you to do the impossible as well.

As I mentioned earlier, I took a few of these notes from two pastors at my church in West Monroe that I am so grateful to have them pouring into my life. I pray that this study gives you a new perspective on the story of Jesus walking on water. Each and every point are so crucial in our walks. We have distractions of all kinds that the enemy sends to rob us of our focus on our calling. It is so important that we remain steadfast in the faith that Jesus is right in front of us, ready to calm the storm we experience. He didn’t meet the disciples for their fear to remain the same or to increase; He met them so He could calm their fear. And He wants to do the same thing for you today.

Thank you for reading!