Dave spoke this morning from Matt 14:22-33, where Jesus walks on water and Peter steps out of the boat in faith! So often, we feel that a life of faith should always mean plain sailing, but the disciples here were being fully obedient to Jesus in getting into the boat (after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand)… and yet still found themselves in a storm. Seeing Jesus feed the five thousand was a miracle beyond their wildest dreams, but even after this miracle, the sight of Him walking on the lake was terrifying to them. We don’t really know why Peter said, ‘Tell me to come to you on the water’ (Matt 14:28), but the fact that he stepped out of the boat on Jesus’s command shows us how the impossible can happen when we obey God.
The problem only came when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves around him. Even then, when he called out to Jesus, Jesus saved him and the storm died down immediately. Peter realised his complete need to depend on God wholeheartedly.
Life is full of adventures, encounters, accidents and experiences. In all of these things, even if we are certain we are doing God’s will, we need to rely on God’s strength rather than our own, for without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We have to let go and let God work His will in our lives. This requires us to adapt to change and resist the temptation to doubt and falter. God invites us to trust Him to fulfil the promises He has made to us, but we have to keep our gaze firmly fixed on God. Doubt and defeat are not part of God’s vocabulary, so we can go forward confidently and boldly in the new year, secure in God’s ability to do the impossible, even in our lives and situations.
