Volume 44   Number 9                                                                                     May 2002

"The boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased” (Matthew. 14:24-32).

• Lesson #1:Obeying the Lord is no guarantee that we will be spared hardship.
  
  Jesus “...made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side...” (Matthew 14:22). Their obedience to His command placed them right in the midst of a frightfully choppy sea. So also our obedience to the Lord will at times place us in uncomfortable, or even frightening, circumstances. “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29). In fact, “...if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed” (1 Peter 3:14). As Jesus said: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My name’s sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 4:11-12).

  
  

• Lesson #2:When in distress, and plagued by fear, we can fail to see the Lord is near to help us.
  
  There was Jesus, the One able to calm the storm, as well as the disciples’ fears, and the disciples didn’t even recognize Him. How like us they were. Let us remember what Paul said to the Athenians: “...He (God) is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being...” (Acts 17:27-28). God is not far from anyone. He is near the Christian (James 4:8). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalms 46:1-3, 7). “My Spirit remains among you” He says. “Do not fear!” (Haggai 2:5).

  
  

• Lesson #3: Fear destroys faith.
  
  Peter was walking on water! He was doing the unsinkable. By believing the Lord could make the impossible possible, and acting on that belief, Peter was experiencing the power of God in a way no man had before. And it lasted as long as “...he walked on the water to go to Jesus” (Matthew 14:29). “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid” (Matthew 14:30). As the song says: “He didn’t begin to sink, ‘til he took his eyes from Jesus.” Fear destroyed his faith, and it was faith that had held failure at bay. There are 366 “fear not” verses in Scripture. In fact, “fear not” is God’s most frequently repeated instruction in the Bible. Why? Because we allow ourselves to be controlled by it so much of the time. As with Peter, we allow fear to stop us in our tracks, to suddenly grip us and tell us that what we’re enduring or experiencing with the help of God is really too much for us. We allow it to keep us from stepping out of the boat (i.e. our comfort zone), and doing what we, in our best moments, would really like to do for the Lord. We haven’t the faith in God to succeed, because we fear failure too much. God told Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? (recall that Jesus commanded Peter, “Come.”) Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you...”(Joshua 1:9). Will you believe that? Will you begin to step out of the boat, today, and take the first/next step in your walk of faith? Or, will you fail silently like the other apostles, and just stay in the boat when the Lord is out on the water?