An Invitation to Walk on Water


As the fourth watch of the night approached, the tide rose and the waves rocked the boat violently from side to side, causing loud swooshing sounds to be heard on either side. Some of the men on the boat had woken up from sleep because of the intensity of the waves. Among those awake was Peter.

Any time from now the sun was bound to show a little bit of itself and Peter desired to catch a glimpse of the first glow of sunrise. It would be a great start to the morning. Nevertheless, it was still as black as it could be. He was sitting at one edge of the boat reflecting on the miracle of the day before. What a shocker! 5,000 people fed from almost nothing. And there just happened to be 12 baskets of leftovers. How in the world did that happen? It wasn't something he heard about. He was there when it happened. He even helped to feed the people. What a mighty God they worshiped.

The men had gone ahead of the master on this boat. They'd had no intention of leaving him behind, but it had seemed like he wanted to be alone in the aftermath of the miracle. Peter was sometimes astounded by Jesus. He was so full of surprises and no one ever knew what He was going to do or say next. Sometimes he felt so inadequate. What had he done for Jesus to select him as part of his team?

Just as he thought of Jesus, he spotted something in the distance. Wait a minute, it wasn't something. It was someone. And that someone seemed to be glowing. But that wasn't what bothered Peter, it was the fact that this strange person was floating, no walking, on the raging waves.

With shaky fingers, Peter pointed to the light and shouted, "Phantasma! Phantasma!" (Spirit! Spirit!). Immediately the men gathered themselves at the center of the boat and began to cry out for help, even as the strange person kept walking towards their boat.

It was Peter who recognized him first. "Master!" he screamed. No, it wasn't a spirit. It was Jesus. "It's me. Don't be afraid." He shouted, raising both hands to wave to them. A surge of emotions overcame Peter. All the reflections of the day before came back to him. The power of God. The mighty miracles. The surprises. The goodness of God. A smile broke out on his face as he forgot about the reality of the waves. "Then let me come to you, Yeshua," he shouted.

"Come," Jesus answered.

Immediately, Peter accepted that invitation and jumped out of the boat. He looked upon the face of his friend and there was a smile there. He kept walking. He spread his arms out to feel the rush of the wind. Although it was a short moment, it felt like forever. He kept walking to Jesus until something happened. Just for a second, he took his eyes off Jesus to look at the waves. All of a sudden, he remembered the reality he was faced with. The violent winds. The waves tossing to and fro. The high tide. The darkness of the night. His wobbly feet. The lightness of the water compared to his weight.

"Save me. Save me!" he cried out, as he began to sink. Immediately, there was a hand holding his. "Why did you doubt, Peter?" Jesus asked him. "Why did you doubt?"

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The story above is based on the true historical account of Matthew 14 in the Bible where Jesus extended an invitation to Peter to walk on water. Something amazing happened. Peter actually accepted that invitation, and when he did his eyes were completely focused on Jesus. And oh yes, he experienced an extraordinary moment for a few minutes. He experienced the power of walking with God. He felt a moment of lifted burdens. Nothing else seemed to matter for a while, not even the violent waves.

Don't Take Your Eyes Off Jesus

It was only when Peter took his eyes off Jesus that once again he was pressed down by the reality of the situation. He forgot that if God was with him, there was nothing to worry about. He forgot that the One who made the seas was right there with him. The reality of the situation clouded his judgment. He miscalculated. The truth was that what seemed to be big (the waves) was indeed so much smaller than the power of God.

Will You Accept this Invitation?

I don't know what you are going through today, but whatever it is, God is extending that same invitation to all of us to walk on water. It's an invitation for us to stop allowing impending circumstances to cloud our vision of what a mighty God He is. I'm accepting this invitation. I currently have a lot of tasks I have to do both for the month of November and December, but my focus is on Jesus and I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That will be my motto for the rest of the year.

How about you? Will you accept God's invitation to walk on water too? Happy Monday, dear readers. I hope this serves as a great reminder and good start to your week. Walk on water, guys. Walk on water! When we intentionally choose to walk on water, we are saying "yes" to God's reality and "no" to what the circumstance "feels" like. With God, nothing is impossible. We can do the impossible. We can walk on water. Nothing is too difficult for God.

As always I'd love to read from you in the comments. What do you say? Is it time for a faith booster? I hope this excites you and increases your faith in what you're believing God for. 

J.A