He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:29-31)
About a dozen years ago, I knew I needed to make some major changes in my life. Even though I knew that making those changes would be painful, I also knew that if I didn’t make them my heart was going to shrivel up and die.
Talking with a spiritual advisor about being stuck, he asked me to pray myself into the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus.
After several weeks of praying with this story, I began to hear Jesus speaking in some clear and helpful ways. When Jesus said to Peter, “You of little faith,” He wasn’t scolding or shaming Peter; instead, He was chiding and encouraging Peter.
If you need to make some changes in your life, changes you’re hesitating over because you’re afraid, I invite you to pray yourself into this story.
You’re in the boat. You see Jesus on the water. You call out to Him. He invites you to join Him. That sounds crazy—you can’t walk on water. But when you look at Jesus’ face, you can’t wait to be with Him. You leave the boat. You’re walking on the water. But then you become afraid and begin to sink. You think you’re a goner. But then you feel Jesus lifting you up.
He says, “You have all the faith you need to walk all the way to me. Try it again. Keep on trying until we’re dancing on the waters together.”
Sometimes we need to get out of our safe boats and step out on the swirling waters, so that we can move towards Jesus and live in new ways.
Do you have enough faith to step out of the boat? Of course you do. I encourage you to live into the faith you already have. I also encourage you to trust that even when you fall or fail, Jesus has nothing but gracious words to offer as He lifts you up.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you need to make some major changes in your life? If so, are you leaning in with courage, or leaning away with fear? If the latter, what is it going to cost you if you don’t do what you know you need to do?
- When Jesus says to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt,” do you hear Jesus scolding or encouraging him? How do you most often hear Jesus speaking to you? Do you know that you could be speaking to yourself in ways that Jesus never would?
- Have you ever considered that you actually have more faith than you think you have? How would your life change if you took more risks to be on the waters dancing with Jesus?