And in the fourth watch [between 3:00--6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me [from death]!” Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matt 14:25-31 (AMP)
We are all like Peter at one point in our lives or another. Sometimes we pull a Peter more often then we like, but we all do it. Peter is in the middle of a storm. One this account, Peter didn’t cause storm. That doesn’t really matter here. When we get down to it storms are all the same, it doesn’t matter who cause them. They are all really big, the waves are high, the wind is strong and the end is uncertain. You could be in storm where you question your value. I’ve been there. I’ve lied in bed awake through most of student teaching wondering what my value was. You could be in storm wondering where God is. I spent many days sitting in a classroom that was just barely big enough for the 19 of us and wonder why God had allowed my second year teaching to go so badly. My main thought during that time was if God was real, He wouldn’t let this happen. You could be in storm cause by someone else. I found out my older sister was pregnant while we were in high school through my friends because it would have no affect on me. I’m still storing through the damage of that hurricane, sometimes I even feel like I’m sitting in the eye of the storm waiting for the rest it. It doesn’t matter what kind of storm you are in. It matters what you do in that storm. Let’s look at what Peter did and see where he went right and try to follow him. Let’s also look at what Peter did wrong and learn from his mistakes. You’ve probably made Peter’s mistakes, isn’t it time to learn from them.
The first thing Peter did was believe. He believed that Jesus was coming out on the water. He also believed the things Jesus was telling him. Do you believe in Jesus and things he tells you? Do you believe in taking courage and not be afraid? Do you believe this is for his glory and you won’t fail?
The next Peter did was have faith. Peter got out of the boat. It’s hard to get out of the boat. It’s hard to have faith. Faith is that little voice that tells you it’ll be okay. It’s the little voice that often doesn’t make sense but we still want to listen. Give Peter some credit here. He is in a boat in the middle of a lake and he climbs out. Everything the world has shown us and what we know about the world says Peter will mostly likely sink like a rock. Most men that go overboard during a storm don’t always make it back on the boat. Peter realizes that we are dealing with special things here. He has seen with his own eyes that Jesus doesn’t operate on the laws and rules of this world. It’s easier to have faith when you have seen the things Peter saw. Hasn’t God been faithful to you? God has done something in your life to give you a reason to have faith. You can have just as much faith as Peter.
Verse 30 is where Peter makes a mistake. It says, “But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened.” Other versions say he saw wind, but we now Peter didn’t see the wind, what he saw was the evidence of the wind or he perceived the wind. He saw the waves and he mostly likely felt the wind too. So this is what Peter did, he changed his focus. He took his eyes off Jesus and the storm overtook him. Peter stopped looking at Jesus and began to sink like a rock. That’s the mistake, changing your focus. As soon as you take your eyes of Jesus, the storm will overwhelm you. Take your eyes of Jesus and you are going to sink.
Now Peter realizes his mistake and this is where he goes back to doing the right thing. You take your eyes off Jesus and you are staring down your storm, you’ll sink. Don’t worry you aren’t helpless, the storm doesn’t have to win, it doesn’t have to overtake you. Do what Peter did. Look at the end of verse 30, “Lord, save me [from death]!” As soon as you realize you are sinking cry out to God. Let God know you are sinking, God will respond. In verse 31, Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him (NIV). It’s not always immediate. You may have to wait until the storm is over. God has His reasons, but if you are calling out to Him, He isn’t going to let the storm overtake you. It does depend on the storm. If you’re in a storm cause by someone else, it might be immediate. However if it’s a storm you’ve caused, you may have to ride it out, but your boat will do make it through the storm.
The next time a storm comes brewing have faith and keep your eyes on Jesus. If you get distracted by the storm and you do take your eyes off Jesus, call out to Him. You can’t avoid storms. You can’t control them but you can control how you respond to a storm.
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