Walk on water!

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From my "Worthy Brief" email this morning:

Walk on water!?!?

Matthew 14:26-32 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Peter exhibited GREAT faith when he stepped out on the water... but then he allowed his immediate surroundings to hinder his walk! Peter's faith began with a tremendous bold step, but it required a level of focus that he wasn't used to. Follow through.... that was the problem; those pesky waves, and the way he usually thought about and experienced water; (not something that generally supports your feet)...

We all know what Peter should have done, right? Keep his eyes on the Lord, NOT the waves!!! That's easy for us to say. But how many of us have ever stepped out of the boat? I didn't notice any of the other disciples playing follow the leader with Peter.

I see two things from this: First, put a little adventure into your life; step out on the water; you might actually enjoy the exhilaration and really glorify God on the way. And secondly, If and when you do, learn from Peter's mistake. Make sure you live life keeping your focus on the Lord (not on your own spiritual ambitions)...because you can be totally confident the waves will come, once you're out of the boat. But watching the Lord of Life walking there with you will give you the vision to follow through.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George and Baht Rivka Whitten
Worthy Ministries

 

[Edward]

Peter exhibited GREAT faith when he stepped out on the water... but then he allowed his immediate surroundings to hinder his walk! Peter's faith began with a tremendous bold step, but it required a level of focus that he wasn't used to. Follow through.... that was the problem; those pesky waves, and the way he usually thought about and experienced water; (not something that generally supports your feet)...

We all know what Peter should have done, right? Keep his eyes on the Lord, NOT the waves!!! That's easy for us to say. But how many of us have ever stepped out of the boat? I didn't notice any of the other disciples playing follow the leader with Peter.

What a great passage for a topic! So many good lesson are in this.
The Lord taught me awhile back that, when you walk, do not look down or you will stumble, especially on an unstable surface. Look up as you walk and looks towards the Lord. That was Peter's mistake. He stopped looking at the Lord to look down towards the earth. I hadn't realized that the same lesson that I have previously learned is contained within this story here.

People don't look up enough. Look up, for your Redemption draweth nigh!

The scripture doesn't exactly say that Peter had his eyes on Jesus when he got out of the boat, but you know he did, right?! I can see Peter with his eyes locked onto Jesus eyes as he went over the side of the boat and first committed his weight to the water! That's why it worked and was great faith. Because Peter had his eyes on Jesus at that moment.

 

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Peter's line from the introductory song from the passion play "An Old Man Remembers" put on by New Covenant Christian Church of Lansing MI back in the day:

"My name is Peter, I'll do or I'll die.
I walked on water and stayed mostly dry.."