27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” -Matthew 14:27-30
The glory is God’s power to save and not that Peter walked on the water. Peter was not putting Jesus to the test, instead, he was the only one in the boat to react in faith. His impulsive request led him to experience a rather unusual demonstration of God’s power. Peter started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the high waves around him. His faith wavered when he realized what he was doing.
We may not walk on water, but we do walk through tough situations. If we focus on the waves of difficult circumstances around us without looking to Jesus for help, we too may sink. To maintain your faith when situations are difficult, keep your eyes on Jesus’ power rather than your inadequacies. We all face trials and problems. Many times, our focus is on the problems, and we don’t focus on Jesus. We worry and get scared about what to do. Peter did too, but he called out, “Lord, save me!” God’s power through the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can really help.
When we have a relationship with Jesus and are following Him, we aren’t judged by the amount of faith we have, but by whom our faith is in. We aren’t likely to see anyone walk on water, but we probably have witnessed many people do amazing things when they were focused on Christ. I am sure we all have witnessed things in our own lives that God saved us from, certain situations and that He saved our soul. That is as amazing as walking on water. Nothing else matters more than God saving us.
Has Jesus ever asked you to step out of your boat and into a potentially scary situation? What happened? As you look ahead to the rest of your day, what situations do you foresee that might pull your attention away from Jesus?
Lord, I believe anything is possible with You. Help me fix my mind on You alone. Work through me today in a way that brings You all the glory. Amen.