A Word from Matthew 14

Today’s word comes from Matthew 14, which includes the story of Jesus walking on the water. And you know that story. Jesus tells his disciples to get in a boat and cross a lake, and he’ll catch up with them later. But later that night, when the boat is caught in a terrible storm, Jesus approaches the disciples, walking on the water. And when Peter asks if he can join Jesus on the waves, Jesus says, “Yes.” And so, Peter hops out of the boat, and for a moment at least, he does walk on water. But then, he focuses on the waves and begins to sink. And so, he calls out to Jesus, who quickly comes and saves him.

Now, a lot of my thinking about that story has been shaped by a book titled, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. And as that title implies, one of the big things that keeps us from experiencing what God could do in our lives is that we’re often unwilling to leave our boat.

Of course, we need to be honest about what our boat is. What is it that you cling to as a source of safety and security, apart from God Himself? Is it your job or your standard of living? Is it a relationship or a group you belong to? Could your boat even be your church, when following its customs becomes more important than obeying God’s call?

Well, whatever our boat is, the only way to know the thrill of walking with Jesus on the waves is to get out of it. And naturally, we—like Peter—might begin to sink. But is that a bad thing? After all, maybe the bigger failure is to stay in the boat, where we’ll never know the thrill walking on water, and where we’ll never know the wonder of being lifted up by Jesus in our moment of need.

So, if you get invited to walk on the water today, will you stay in the boat? Or will you remember that the water is where Jesus is? And where Jesus is – is always the best place to be. Amen.