One of my all time favorite stories from the Bible is the story of Jesus walking on the water that can be found in the Gospel of St. Matthew chapter 14. I like this story not for the actions of Jesus but for the actions of St. Peter my namesake.
Let me set the stage for you. Jesus has just finished feeding the 5,000 people and he tells his friends to get in the boat and meet him on the other side. They get in the boat and set off and a big storm comes up. They are all huddled in the center of the boat in fear of their lives and they see Jesus out on the water, although they do not recognize that it is him. Peter asks that if it is in fact Jesus that he calls him out so he can walk on the water. He does, and Peter does. Then the wheels come off the wagon.
A big wave comes up and Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and he begins to sink. He cries out and asks Jesus to save him and of course Jesus does. Jesus chastises him a little and calls him a man of little faith. But we know the end of the story and Peter becomes one of the greatest of all of the Apostles.Peter’s mistake was not a lack of faith but rather a lack of trust. How often have we lacked the trust not only in God but in other people? Maybe we have been let down before and maybe we have been hurt before. We all need to trust in order for us to go through life. If we ever hope to make a difference then we need to trust. Trust in God and trust in yourself.
We face storms in life everyday. The waves come crashing over the side. Maybe the wave is money or maybe the wave is your health. It does not matter what the wave is as long as we keep our eyes fixed on the goal all will be well in life.It is very easy to trust God when the seas are calm but when the waves of life start to crash over the side it gets very difficult. These are the times when we need to throw our legs over the side and get out of the boat. Put your trust in Jesus and he will carry you to the other side of your troubles. Just take that first step and get out of the boat.
This particular story reminds me of when I was a child and nobody new how bad off my eye problem was and in order for me to cross a busy street and not be afraid of getting hit by a car was to put my trust in Jesus just like that! I knew that although I may not actually make it acroos the street without getting hit. I knew as long as I kept Jesus in my minds eye, I would be in safe hands.