“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:28-31 NIV
On a dark night, a group of fishermen found themselves in a boat in the middle of the water, tossed by the waves and straining against an unrelenting wind. They were familiar with such difficulty, but that didn’t completely erase their concerns. The water could be a dangerous place, a place you didn’t take for granted. In their years on the water they had seen terrible accidents. The deep had claimed men they knew.
As they struggled on in the wind and waves, they thought they saw the shape of a man on the water. But that was impossible. Yet the shape seemed to be continuing toward them. Their bleary eyes strained against the darkness in disbelief. As the waves tossed the boat, the figure drew closer, closer and closer, stepping with ease on the cresting waves. Their trepidation turned to raw fear as the figure approached the boat, a ghostly silhouette against the inky blackness of the night.
Their unbelieving eyes barely recognized The Teacher as He approached the boat, their pounding hearts dimming the clarity of their vision. Peter blurted “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water”. Peter stepped over the side of the boat, staring at Jesus in amazement as the waves sloshed around his feet. Suddenly, the reality of the entire situation dawned on Peter: he was standing in the middle of the sea. On water. He began to sink.
Peter is often berated in this story for having little faith. Indeed, Jesus Himself scolds him. But I believe that, although the story begins with Peter stepping incredulously out of the boat, it did not end with him sinking. It ended with Peter knowing to reach out his hand. Peter knew what to do when he failed in himself. He called out to Jesus.
Our faith walk is a series of dances on water and sinking beneath the waves. We see the divine so clearly one moment and are blinded and in the dark the next. And we beat ourselves up for the fickleness of our faith. Our dimmed and worldly eyes cannot see God and, if we are honest, sometimes we can only see our world and our problems. We doubt ourselves. And we doubt God.
But the curtain has been torn asunder. We can abide with God. He is found in earnest prayer. He is found in His promises, in His Word. He is found inside us, in the Helper, who dwells in our heart. We were made to soar on the crests of waves rather than sink into the depths of anxiety and hopelessness. Perhaps we may begin to slide downward and may do so often. I know I do. And when we do, remember Christ’s steady hand is waiting to catch us and lead us safely ashore. This is the fullness of the story: not that we step out in wonder, but that we remember to reach to our God when our resolve weakens and our fleeting faith sinks like a stone. He is ever faithful, steady and true. His Spirit hovered over the deep when the world was born and His lovingkindness will never forsake us. The end of this story is to remember His hand is always there.
Written by Janet Keefe
