“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” (Matt. 14:29) Everything in life seems fine until we face a storm. Then we need to find a way to walk on water; a way to get into the secure hands of Jesus. He not only walks on water but He bids you and me to come to Him in the midst of our storms. There is a sense of security sitting in a boat—that is unless the boat begins to sink.
A couple of years ago my wife, Susanne, and I were fishing on Buckatunna Creek. I had waded out thigh deep into the creek to get a better angle at casting my lure to a spot on the opposite bank. Out of my peripheral vision I saw what appeared to be a log slowly floating by with the current. This is not unusual in small streams and rivers. However, as I continued to cast my line in search of a Kentucky Spotted Bass, I realized that the log had suddenly stopped and it was remaining still about six feet away. It dawned on me there was no reason it should have stopped. As I looked down, there was a five foot alligator looking at me. To his surprise, I did not stare back at him for long!
I like to say that I am aware of three people who have walked on water: Jesus, Peter and me! Of course, my adventure was more like a large whale attempting to escape danger by beaching itself on the shoreline. The world seemed to rotate in slow motion as I churned through the water in search of dry land. I don’t think Susanne feels like I walked on water, but she wasn’t the one fleeing from the monster.
Like this alligator, tragedy and trials slip up on us. Sometimes we are in a boat and feeling secure, and sometimes we are in the water feeling vulnerable. Either way, our life is in danger. These are the times when the Lord draws near and we hear Him call us to walk on the water of our storm. We are not always delivered from the dangers that life tosses toward us. However, our hearts can always rise above the storm and find a place of solace in God’s secure hands.
The strange thing about storms, is that sometimes the Lord is the one who sends us into them. Like the disciples in our story, Jesus will command us into areas of danger. This is not to harm us, but to teach us to depend upon the certainty of His care. When the next unexpected storm hits your life, remember Peter. Ask the Lord to call you out of the boat of safety, out of the comfort zone of tradition, and out of familiar settings. Reach out to Him through surrender and child like trust, and you’ll find yourself…walking on water!
