Matthew 14: 29-30 (NIV®)
“‘Come’ He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when He saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord save me’”.
Peter had faith in Christ. If he didn’t, he would not have asked, and he surely would not have stepped out of that boat onto the water. He trusted in the person of Christ, not the circumstances around him… well, then he noticed the circumstances.
Jesus knew before Peter stepped out of the boat that it would be bumpy for him. He knew Peter would notice the waves. He knew Peter would have to make an adjustment. He also knew He would not let Peter drown. He invited Peter because He knew that Peter needed to know all of that. He needed Peter to change, to understand and to grow in faith.
Current day application? I am in a transition period. I am in the process of changing from my “normal” life into a “new normal” life. At least I think i am. It took a bit for me to submit to the need for change, but now, by faith, I can see the end product.
You have been there, right? Whether it is a goal you have set or a life transition, you put in the work and effort to make sure you finish exactly where you want. Sometimes you don’t even know where you are going, but you know you can’t stay where you are.
When we ask The Lord for guidance, He obliges. We ask. He invites. He gives us faith to see the endpoint. We may not always have the specifics correct about the timeline, but we have a vision of the future. We step out on the water.
Then the hard part starts. The day in, day out, consistent believing for that future. We may have difficulties, delays, disappointments, and discouragements, but God is still with us as we work out our “faith” muscles. We live out the process by praying, trusting, and doing the work we know we are to do. We learn patience and perseverance. We learn we can trust Him despite the obstacles and despite how long it takes to reach the end. When we feel like we’re about to drown, we learn to refocus our hearts and minds on Him and move forward in quiet confidence.
There is no confidence in our hard work, though it is needed. There is no confidence in calm seas, for we can drown in calm water just as easily as we can in a storm. Our confidence is in Christ alone. For He is the one who invited us to step out in faith, and if He gave the invitation then He will see us through to the end. If He said “Come”, then, by faith, we can walk it out. If He said “Come”, we can trust Him and consider it done.