Matthew 14:27-29
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, [c]“Be of good cheer! [d]It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
What do you do when what you see does not seem to align with what you hear? The disciples were terrified, it was at night, the waves and the winds were beating hard against the boat and it seemed like they would capsize and drown. Now out of nowhere, they see the image of what seems like a ghost walking on the water coming towards them. Talk about FEAR in capital letters!
Jesus speaks to them and the first thing he says to them is “Be of good cheer!” But what does that mean? It means to have hope and do not get discouraged, do not lose hope, and live your life joyfully. If you are like me you must be wondering how that is even possible. The situation had not changed it was still the same and probably even getting worse but here comes Jesus saying be of good cheer. He goes on to reveal who he is by saying “It is I;” And then he says, “Do not be afraid!”
You cannot be of good cheer if you allow fear to rule your hearts. Also knowing that Jesus is with you and believing that he is who he says he is and can do what he says he can do dispels all fear.
Peter takes the opportunity to cast away all fear by saying;
“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” and Jesus replies by saying one word, “COME!”
This is the point where you and I have to ask ourselves, will we believe the word of the Lord and act on it or will we focus on what we see? Unlike the other time when Jesus was asleep in the boat and he woke up and spoke to the storm, this time he completely ignores the storm and instead he speaks to those who are in the storm.
Which do you believe more, which will determine your response, the winds and waves hitting hard against the boat or the words of Jesus telling you to step out of the boat and walk on the water in the middle of darkness and a harsh storm.
Peter the only disciple who had the courage jumped out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus.
To walk on the water you and I must believe and act on the word of the Lord no matter what we are seeing or experiencing on the outside. 12 disciples heard the command to come but only one responded to it in obedience while the rest were stuck and frozen in fear. Only one out of the 12 got to experience what it was like to walk on water!
Reflections.
They thought the Lord was a ghost! Have you ever been afraid of or rejected the help that God brought your way because it looked like something else?
Has the Lord ever instructed you to do something completely contrary to common sense and popular opinion? What happened?
Peter walked on water while the others stayed on the boat. What are some of the things you have failed to experience because you allowed fear to rule your heart?
