“Then Peter said to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.'”
–Matthew 14:28 NLT
The disciples were not really sure who or what they were encountering. At first, they thought He was a ghost (verse 26), a sign that their fears were already running wild, as the wind and the waves were rising up to challenge them as well. In order to prove who He was and allay their fears, Peter had made a requirement of Jesus: perform a miraculous sign, and he would believe what He said of Himself.
It was no wonder Jesus had to save Peter from drowning. He and the other disciples were failing to believe the words of Christ. The second time in this story he denied the power of God at work (Ephesians 3:20) was when Peter began walking on the water, after Jesus invited him outside his comfort zone to execute his own miracle. We know he did not pass this test of faith, because he began to sink, and begged Jesus to save him. It was this third and final moment of disbelief that Jesus held out his hand to rescue Peter. He also took this opportunity to chastize Peter for allowing his doubt to become greater than his faith (vv 29-31).
Peter is much like many of us, believer or not. We can often find ourselves asking God to prove Himself to us. Even after He shows Himself worthy of being our faithful God, we still fail to believe, which gives Christ perfect right and privilege to declare to each of us, “You have so little faith….Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31b-c)
Stepping out of a boat onto dry land feels like we’re going from an unsure situation into the realm of stability and reassurance. But climbing out of places that appears safe to us, in order to grow in our faith and become closer to God, is the calling of a believer.
Peter doubted Jesus three times in this story. But as we know from the Four Gospels, Peter has his issues. For example, he also denied he knew Christ three times before dawn on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion (John 13:38). Yet despite the continued doubts and denials, Jesus reinstated Peter as one of His disciples, with three proper commands to follow: “feed my lambs, “take care of my sheep,” and to “feed my sheep” (John 21:15c, 16c, 17c).
Peter knew he would not see Jesus again on this earth, so he could no longer afford to live by sight alone. Now the requirement to “live by faith” would be essential (2 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus would no longer be there in physical form to deliver him from his fears, encourage him to step out of his comfort zone, and perform miracles, nor to hold out his strong, physical hand to rescue him in his desperate moments. Peter finally had to act on his faith, and, as Jesus said to Thomas, “stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27b-c)
Though we all struggle with doubting who God is, though we all have times we want God to prove who He is to us, and we all have moments we need a divine helping hand, may we continue to grow in our faith, believing more and more everyday that God will work in us to make us into stronger believers. And may we remember that our faith is what pleases God the most (Hebrews 11:6).
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for giving me the gift of faith. I pray that You would increase it daily (Luke 17:5), and help me to overcome any unbelief in my mind (Mark 9:24). Please strengthen the faith I already have, and remind me to call into question all thoughts I have that raise doubts about who You are and what You are capable of. Offer your hand to me, Lord, when I am sinking into my own fears, and rescue me from any thoughts and feelings that are holding me down and stagnating my faith. Your will be done, Amen.
