"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!" Matthew 14:29, 30
As followers of Jesus
Christ, we have experiences when we "step out in faith." The account
of Peter getting out of the boat and stepping into the rough waters is surely a
great example for us to use as we go through life.
Peter was the only one
who stepped out in faith on that stormy night. We also will find ourselves in
that same lonely place at times. God will call us through His Word, just like
Jesus called Peter to come. But we may be the only one. Our friends may be
content with business as usual. Our family members may be willing to just stay
in the boat. But meanwhile, we will hear the voice of the Lord telling us to
step out in faith.
But Peter heard the
voice and he stepped out anyway . . . he paid no attention to the voices in the
background. He only listened to the voice of the Lord.
Peter did fine, until
he got his eyes back on the circumstances of the boisterous waves. Then he
abandoned his faith and took up fear . . . that's when he started sinking. It
was the fear that put him back in the clutches of the world and its deadly
consequences.
Peter could have gone
with the fear, but it was his faith in Jesus that got him back on track! Even
while he was sinking he stirred up his faith again and called out to the Lord.
The Lord rebuked Peter for his lack of faith (a rebuke means "sharp words
to cause correction") and then reached out and pulled him up so he could
continue in his walk of faith.
We are faced with
times when we must step out in faith. These are the times when we must keep our
ears and eyes open to the Lord and Him only. We cannot let negative voices,
unbelieving comments, or stormy circumstances drown out the Word of the Lord.
The storms will come,
but Christ will always be there for us. We must look to Him, ask Him to show us
what to do, and when He does, we must confidently step out in faith and walk in
the Spirit. If we make a mistake and fall back, we need only to call upon the
Lord, take corrective measures, and continue our walk on to victory and
success!
Be blessed.
