Walk On Water

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John carefully chose to report certain events in Jesus’ life to show us who He is. Jesus’ life, miracles and teachings, prove that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. He is the Lord of the universe and can control the weather, the winds and waves of life! He’s no ordinary man. He can walk on water and invites you to do the same. By believing in Jesus – knowing Him personally and intimately – we may have life in His name (John 20:30-31).

Many people think that the Christianity is an aged religion full of obsolete rituals. The truth is, the Christian life is supernatural! It is full of triumph over the storms and difficulties of life – triumph like walking on water! To do that you obey God, get out of your boat, and fix your eyes on Jesus. Are you ready to learn the principles of the exciting Christian life?

Obey God. Why were the disciples in that boat in the first place? Matthew 14:22 tells us it is because Jesus commanded them to sail ahead while He went alone to pray.

The disciples obeyed God’s command and found themselves out in the sea in the middle of a storm! Obedience does not exempt us from adversity.

Many of us come to Jesus with all sorts of wrong motives. We think if we attend Bible studies we will get rich or find a spouse. While it is true that Jesus blesses those who come to Him, the Bible teaches that we are to “Seek first His kingdom…and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The process of blessing at times involves testing. As we go through trials, our motives for coming to Jesus are purified. We learn to love and worship Him for who He is.

All of us will go through a period of testing. All men and women experience problems. The difference for Christians is, we know we have God because He promised never to leave us.

Still, we can become disappointed with God. Realize this: every time God is going to make Himself very real in your life, He will use problems. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6-7). We only overcome trials by the power of God – and when we do, God gets the glory. Bringing God glory is the purpose of our lives! When we fulfill our lives’ purpose, God blesses us.

The storm raged all night and the disciples struggled on the boat for their very lives. The disciples were going through testing. It was only when it was almost morning that Jesus Christ showed up. The sky began to get light, and the first thing they saw was Jesus walking on the water! They got scared and thought they were seeing a ghost!

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid’” (Matthew 14:27). At the moment when they felt most helpless, God met them!

Jesus said “It is I.” In Greek, it is Ego Emi, or, I AM, the Name that the unchanging, covenant-keeping, Almighty God gave by which He will be worshiped generation after generation. Jesus is God.

Get out of the boat. Peter said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. The boat represents our comfort zone. Logically, it was safer for Peter to stay in the boat than to go into the water. But Peter did not step out of the boat without the Lord’s command, and in that he found his courage. Of all twelve men on the boat, only he experienced this extraordinary event.

What is your comfort zone? Our boats can be a career, a place, or a relationship that does not bring glory to God. Our faith will never grow until we get out of our comfort zones. Is Jesus commanding you to get out of the boat? Take the first step of obedience. It is always the hardest.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. The Bible says Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith and we must fix our eyes on Him — Hebrews 12:2 — “For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Peter was walking on the water toward Jesus. But then he saw the huge waves tossed by the wind. And he began to be afraid. The moment he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and saved Peter.

What happened to Peter? Fear entered his heart. Many times we find ourselves in His situation. We take our first steps toward Jesus, and then, we take our eyes off of Him. We look at our circumstances. We look at people. Fear enters our hearts. What do we fear?

When we look at circumstances, we get discouraged. When we look at people, we might stumble. When we look at ourselves, we can get depressed. We must fix your eyes on Jesus. Let Him be the focus of your faith. Your faith affects your behavior, which in turn affects your life. As we get to know Jesus more intimately, our faith grows. And yes, there will be moments when we will fail. But let not that be our excuse. We obey, we get up again and out of the boat. We fix our eyes on the Lord of the universe, the Almighty God, the I AM, whose hand is stretched out toward us each time we cry, “Lord, save me!”

After that trial, the disciples were never the same again. They began to worship Jesus as God. Peter asked the Lord to command him to walk on water. What is the Lord commanding you to do? It’s your turn, my friend. It takes that first step of obedience to begin your exciting journey in the Christian life. God bless you!