“And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:25-33)
Recently, I was asked to pray and meditate on this scripture passage. I have never prayed over scripture before. I have always wanted to, but never followed through, mainly because I always found it difficult imagining the scene. For the first time, picturing the story came easy, but the picture did not look like what the text described. Instead, my mind put me in the place of Peter and I was walking out towards Jesus.
After reading over the scripture three times, it became clear that the Lord was really asking me to reevaluate my life and see what aspects of it were keeping me from looking to Him and trusting in Him. It was evident that my life is truly in the heart of the storm. Every day at my work there are too many things causing me to look away from Jesus. I have been in transition at my job, moving from the pastry department to customer service. It is a positive move because it gives me more opportunities for advancement, but I have failed to see how much disruption it has placed on my well-being. Each day is unlike the next and I cannot predict what will be asked of me. I literally feel as though my boat is “being tossed about by the waves, for the winds are against it.” (Matthew 14:24) There are times when I feel completely alone left do deal with endless tasks, and I am terrified I do not have the ability to carry them out. The pressure and demands of the customers I come in contact with can be overwhelming, and going into the holiday season the demands are only going to get worse.
What I am forgetting is that I am never alone, because Jesus is truly right in front of me asking me to get out of the boat and trust that He will not let me sink. In the midst of the chaos, I need to let go and remember why I am called to be there. I do not like my job and it continues to be a struggle getting there each day, but there is a purpose for being there and I need to trust in that, and more importantly, trust Jesus Christ. It is always darkest before the dawn! When I am in the height of the storm and it is at the “fourth watch of the night,” that is when I have to get out of the boat. Besides, I have always wanted to walk on water!
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Originally posted at Kitty in the City.
1 thought on “Walk on Water”
This columnist has a gift for sharing her faith journey in these articles. She is an inspiration to young people in difficult situations–stressed about their jobs, their relationships, making ends meet, etc. If one can truly rely on the Lord, nothing is impossible, even walking on water.