Peter’s Story
A Touch of Heaven
He took a step of faith, but it didn’t work out so well. Jesus was standing outside the boat and Peter asked to step out and meet Him there, on the water. He left everything he knew and trusted, the comfort and security of friends and familiar surroundings and expectations for a taste of the unknown. Peter went to stand with the Creator of the universe in a place mere mortals never dared!
At first, it was a touch of heaven and majesty. Peter walked on water! What an amazing feeling it must have been to defy gravity and do the impossible. The guys in the boat must have been jealous.
The Old Knowledge
It didn’t take long for fear to strike his heart, though. Peter looked at his circumstances and remembered that people can’t walk on water! Old knowledge and old emotions swept through him and replaced his faith with fear.
It was the old knowledge of life without the power of God that caused Peter to remember his circumstances were impossible. It was the old knowledge of past failures that drove Peter to doubt the living God standing before him.
Isn’t that what paralyzes the rest of us and keeps us from doing great things for the Lord? The fear of losing everything scares us into doubting He can and will save us.
As Peter began to sink, the Lord lifted him up. He asked, “Why did you doubt?”
The Place of Impossible
Are you in the middle of it? Is there nothing but water as far as your eye can see? Do you feel alone out there working to make a difference in other people’s lives? Then remember, Jesus is not going to stay in the boat and yell to you, “Hey! Are you alright? Do you need a line?” He will be in the water with you.
Do you know why He will be with you? It is because He dwells in the place of impossible. As with everything else, He created it. It is His nature. With Him, all things are possible.
Jesus Christ would not ask you to do something He has never done. When He said, “I will be with you always,” there was never a “but” there. He meant what He said, that there will never be a time when He leaves you.
What Great Thing
I am not sharing these words having never taken solemn steps of faith. It is frightening to risk it all, but risk is the key. It’s like moving out of your parent’s home. You may struggle a little but eventually you get your feet on solid ground.
I just have to say, thank you to Peter for his courage in trying. He became to all of us an example of what a step of faith looks like. It was also that step of faith that revealed the Lord would never let him sink.
What great thing would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
The Wealth of His Abundance
I can’t tell you what the Lord’s will is in your life, but I can tell you that He has prepared a place for you in Heaven. Have you ever thought about Heaven and what it looks like? The Bible says there are many mansions. It also tells us the city and streets are made of pure gold, like clear glass. The wall is made of jasper and every kind of precious stone. There are 12 gates into the city and each of them are made of a single pearl. It is a place of great wealth and abundance. You will have a place to live and food to feast on. And the best part? None of it will cost you a dime!
If God has spared no expense for your time in Heaven, then is it a small thing for Him to provide for you here on earth? At what point in Jesus’ life did He charge anyone for what He gave? In every example, Jesus Christ covered the cost completely. He spent His life so that you could share in the wealth of His abundance.
That Deep Intimacy
Are you living in yesterday? Are you looking at yesterday’s results and expecting the same today?
We all have failures as well as ups and downs, mountain peaks of certainty and valleys of doubt and fear. It is what every Christian who seeks God for their needs and desires will face. But it is our blessing to walk this path. It is the path of walking on water with Jesus Christ. It is being on the water with Him and watching Him work in our lives whether we are building a new home, looking for a new job or struggling with a serious health condition. And it is a blessing.
The world does not get to enjoy that deep intimacy of being with Jesus Christ on the water. It is God’s children who will see Him working in their lives and recognize that it is Him moving. We get to see His hand moving in our lives.
It is hearing the songs that speak to our heart at the exact moment we need it. It is hearing another share words that we need at the exact moment. It is witnessing miracles, big and small, in our lives and knowing where those come from. It is moments of deep intimacy with the Lord, knowing and feeling that He is right there with us, standing next to us, filling us with His presence and reminding us that this life is not forever and that one day we will be with Him and never suffer or need again.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19