“But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me 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” –Matthew 14” 26-29
There are so many opportunities, in life, that seem impossible in the moment opportunity presents itself. Fear clouds our judgement and often holds us from seizing the opportunities right in front of us.
I can only begin to imagine the fear that grabbed the disciples that evening when they saw Jesus walking on the water. Surely, as they looked out across the sea, they must have thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. After all, they were tired. It had been a full day with Jesus as he taught the people and then fed the 5,000 people with just a few loaves of bread and two fish. Now they were making the long journey across the Sea of Galilee.
As Jesus approached the boat the disciples were confused and “terrified.” Jesus calms the fears in the boat by calling out to his disciples. He tells them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” This brought some comfort to Peter who called back and offered to come out on the water, if it truly was Jesus. Jesus invited him to, “Come.”
Peter stepped out on the water in what had to be one of the most amazing and terrifying moments of his life. Peter stood on the water, he took several steps! What an adventure! It did not take long for him to begin to sink and for fear to seize him, once again.
This scripture teaches us an important point about living life with great courage. Peter “Saw the wind, he was afraid.” Therefore, he began to sink. Had he kept his focus on Jesus his journey would have been different. Our faith does not teach us to ignore the reality of the dangers around us, it teaches us to trust the One who calls us out of the safety of boat onto the great adventure. Our focus determines our journey. When we keep our eyes on Jesus we will find a life full of great adventures, maybe we will even find ourselves walking on water.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
