Peter said, Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said, “Come." But when Peter saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and he began to sink, and he cried, saying, Oh, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, why did you doubt?” (vv. 28-31)
Here in chapter 14 Jesus had just sent the multitudes of people away (who had followed Him out of the city) in order that He might spend some time in prayer by Himself. He had spent the day healing the sick, feeding the Five Thousand from five loaves and two fish, and encouraging/instructing His disciples. Being spent from the demands of the day, He was in need of strengthening His own Spirit through prayer to His father. Therefore, He sent His disciples ahead of Him in a boat to cross the sea and told them He would meet them on the other side.
Scripture next tells us that some time later, the boat was in the middle of the sea being tossed by the waves and that the wind was contrary (v.24). Then, in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea (v.25). This was somewhere between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. According to Mark (Mark 6:47-52), Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water after they had exhausted themselves rowing against the waves and windy storm. No wonder they thought he was a ghost and cried out in fear (v.26), they were probably delirious.
Therefore, Jesus immediately spoke to them these comforting words, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." This statement caused Peter to reply, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And we know what happened from there.
The lesson for all of us here is to keep our eyes upon Jesus and not on our circumstances. When we start looking around at our problems we can begin to sink. Every one of us faces daily situations that could sink us, if we allow ourselves to get caught up into our circumstances. We just need to keep our eyes on the Lord, the Master over the wind and the waves of our daily lives. Then, like Peter, who when looking at Jesus was able to walk on water, so shall we conquer our our daily trials in like manner.
Yes we can all become distracted by the wind and waves around us. But, even in our moments of "little faith” God is there, ready to comfort and help His children - Even when we are doubting Him.
The Truth: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
