Get out of the boat and walk

Sometimes in life we face storms where we can clearly see the help coming from God, and some other times we may think that He doesn't care any more. It could be that we are in the middle of a storm because we disobeyed God, or it could be that He sent us through it so we can learn to trust Him more.

Mathew 14:22-36 tells us the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. Verse 22 says, "Jesus made the disciples get into the boat". They were not going because they wanted to, but because Jesus was telling them to do so. They were obeying the Lord, but this time they were going alone and a storm awaited them.
We read in Matthew 8:23-17 a different kind of storm where Jesus was in the boat with them, but this time He was out of the boat!

After the disciples were gone, Jesus went to pray and about three or six in the morning, (the fourth watch of the night) He went to meet them walking on the water. The boat was already like three or three and a half miles away (John 6:19), and when the disciples saw someone coming, they were terrified and thought that it was a ghost, but Jesus told them to take courage and not to be afraid because it was Him.

I am not sure what storm you are facing right now and I am not sure if you are seeing Jesus or a ghost; I am not sure how far have you gone, or for how long have you been on it, but Jesus can meet you wherever you are at right now.

Following the Bible story, Peter had a great faith when he said: " Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water"(verse 28) and, what was the Lord's answer? - "Come" (verse 29). Jesus wasn't saying "If you want to, you can come" He didn't say "let's way for the storm to pass and then you can come", He was saying: "Come", "get out of the boat and walk"

There is times in life when we think that Jesus isn't close, but when we see Him, we asked Him for something and then the question that comes to our minds is: Is that really you telling me to do so? Then the Lord tells us that is Him, He gives us peace about something, but... to let the boat, to let the place that we think is more secure in the middle of the storm, is the step that we don't want to take. Could be because we are afraid, or maybe because we don't trust that it's the Lord, but it takes a real person of faith to leave the boat and walk on the water!

Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, but he saw the wind and he was afraid that he began to sink (verse 30). As Peter, we take our eyes off Christ and start to look around, to a point where we are terrified to keep walking and want to stop. At list Peter recognized that he was sinking and cried out to Jesus for help. Do we? When we took our eyes off Christ and start looking around, do we really asked the Lord for help when we are sinking? Or do we wait until we are drowning?

Immediately, Jesus helped Peter and not only that; they walked on the water together, right there in the middle of the storm, Jesus answered Peter's cry for help and after helping him, the Lord walked with him.
Jesus asked Peter, "Why did you doubt? The word-translated doubt carries the meaning of "standing uncertainly at two ways. When we don't look at Christ but have our eyes in more than one way, we get confused and don't know what to do.

It was after Jesus got back to the boat with Peter that the wind died down (Verse 32) and it is only until we let Jesus to come to our storm and take control, that we can see the land ahead of us, and the sun shining again after the rain.
The disciples who were in the boat worshiped Jesus saying: "Truly, you are the son of God" (verse 33). What a difference with their question in the other scene (Matthew 8:23- 27) when Jesus calmed the storm and they asked: " What kind of man is this?" Now, they declare who Jesus is.
We need to let other people to see who Jesus is at the beginning, during and after our storm, because He doesn't change. But those who today asked, how do you do that? What kind of person is helping you out with all of this trouble? Are those who someday are going to say...It's because of Jesus, the Son of God!

In the book of acts the disciples won 5.000 people (Acts 4:4) and the storm of persecution began. No doubt Peter and the other disciples recalled their storm experiences with the LORD and took courage.

I have been on a storm, long one (according to me) in the past months of my life and being honest, there has been times when I could clearly see the Lord helping me and holding me, but there were times where I couldn't even see a ghost. The storm I am passing by is the one who is making me walk on the water with my dream of serving God and going to missions. I don’t see it coming, all I see when I look around is nothing, but what a difference when I look to Christ knowing that His plans are perfect for my life, that He will give me the best and that there is nothing impossible for Him! As Peter, I started to walk by faith and sometimes I have failed and sunk, but I recognized that I need Jesus, that without Him I can’t keep walking and yes, it’s Jesus who holds me and walks with me right now. As the disciples remembered their storms, I look at other experiences with the Lord and take courage when I remember that some time ago I saw Him coming in the storm, that He saw me through it all and that we walked together.

When we have faith and trust God but don’t do anything, we can never have the experience of walking with Him on the water.

I don’t know about you, but I want God to look at me and tell me: “Well done, good and faithful servant! (Matthew 25:21) and not to say to me: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

It’s true that if we step out in faith we risk failure. But only by stepping out we will personally experience Christ's power!

Resources: The Bible, The Holy Spirit, Believer's Study Bible, The Bible Exposition Commentary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, The Bible reader's companion.