Jesus walks on water ~
This is a story we all know . . . or is it? We know that the disciples were in the boat and Jesus was on the land. Do you remember why? After the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus crossed the lake to pray in solitude. While He never turned away a crowd, He also made sure that He had alone time with God - even if it was the middle of the night. Think of all the wonderful things Jesus accomplished, the wisdom He had, the compassion He showed. Where did all of that come from? God. Do you look at yourself in the mirror & wonder how you ended up where you are? How you lost that zeal for life? How your faith seems so small and insignificant? Why you are so far away from living the life Christ has set out for you? There's a simple solution - you're not spending quality time with God. He is our lifeline, without Him we are nothing.
It is now between 3-6am. Jesus is ready to head back, but the disciples are out on the lake - several miles away according to John. So, Jesus starts walking . . . on the water. Mark tells us that Jesus intended to simply walk to the other side of the lake & meet the disciples there. But the disciples see Him & freak out. I guess I would too. You don't really think you'll see someone walking across the lake, on the water, during a storm. I do think it's interesting that their minds immediately go to "ghost." Aren't these the same guys who just saw an awesome miracle performed? Don't they know who Jesus is by now? Not really. See they expect a person - regardless of the incredible miracles they have seen, to just be a person. We fall into expectations & blind ourselves to reality. Mark calls this a "hardened heart." No matter the miracle, we still refuse to accept what is clearly in front of our faces.
Finally, Peter. Ah, abrupt, bull-headed Peter. He speaks and acts before thinking, often finding himself in tricky situations. Reminds me of myself. So, what can we learn from Peter? Well, he thought he would test this situation out. If it really was Jesus walking on the water and not a ghost, then Peter should be able to walk out their with Him. So, out he jumps. Now you would think this shows great faith, but really, I think Peter just didn't give it much thought. Sometimes this is like our faith - we jump into a decision during an emotional, spiritual high. We take the right steps with the wrong motivation. Now, don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with stepping out in faith. I'm just saying sometimes we make these promises to God with our hearts but we leave our heads behind. We are simply going with the emotion. Then we get out there in life & our flesh starts talking. "It windy, dark, and wet. And by the way, what am I thinking standing out here on top of the water? Every fool knows that you can't walk on water." And poof, your faith is gone. Just like that your drowning in doubt. Ah, but here is where Peter's faith shines through - even in his doubt he calls out to Jesus to save him. And what does Jesus do? He picks him up & helps Him back in the boat.
So what do we learn from this? Don't take risks? Never step out in faith? NO! Step out in faith, do what God is calling you to do. Just don't be rash about it. Spend time in prayer. Line up your heart and your head with the will of God and always, always, always fall back on Him. Notice - Jesus didn't doubt and He didn't sink. He was lined up with God. It comes back to quality vs. quantity. Spend real, focused time communicating with God and you'll be amazed at the results.
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