Wind & Waves

Bobby Gums 05.10.2024

Matthew 14:22-32 Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side,…And he went up into a mountain apart to pray….But the ship was now in the midst of the sea,

tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

We can all relate to the storms in life, especially those that come up against our faith in Christ.

Have you ever wondered why the disciples did not immediately recognize Jesus as He approached them ‘walking on the water’? I can only think that, even though they were with Him daily, they had never seen Jesus in this way before. As a matter of fact, they had never seen anyone in this way before! What about when Peter got down out of the boat, during that terrible storm, and he himself began to walk on the water to go to Jesus? I was thinking the other disciples may have suddenly had difficulty in recognizing their friend as he stepped out in faith in this amazing way. Well, that is until Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. Sadly, it seems we are more familiar with the failings of our faith than we are the triumphs. Oh yeah, that’s just Peter. He should have known better than to step out in faith like that. Who does he think he is anyway? But there are similar examples of that kind of faith in the Bible. There is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refuse to worship the golden image, believing God would save them, walked around in the fiery furnace with ‘a fourth man’. There was Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. It may have been difficult for us to identify with those fellas as well. Why is it that we cannot not seem to ‘muster up the faith’ even for the things God has promised to those who simply believe? O Lord, that we will clearly recognize You whenever and however You appear!

I have good news, there is yet hope for us all! The thing that jumped out to me for the first time ever while reading about Peter walking, momentarily, on the water to Jesus, is that when Peter began to sink and cried out to Jesus, Jesus immediately reached down, lifted him back up on top of the wind tossed waves, and restored Peter’s faith. Peter, keeping his eyes on Jesus this time, walked with Jesus on the water, wind & waves still raging, back to the boat! Only when they were back in the boat did the wind cease! Then see how Peter’s act of faith, his subsequent lack of faith, and Jesus immediately restoring his faith, affected everyone of the disciples, they came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God! If our faith has taken a hit by a recent storm, Jesus is faithful to restore us unto Himself as we fix our gaze upon Him again!

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For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12)

Bobby Gums

704.619.9201