Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come ahead.” Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” Matthew 14:28-31 (MSG)
The disciples were just doing what they were told. Jesus told them “Get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake.” Probably sharing stories, managing the business of rowing the boat and maybe even relaxing a bit. Unexpectedly a storm showed up. The winds began, the waves swelled and the boat started tossing and turning in the black sea. I can imagine this would be frightening if not terrifying.
As Jesus came near them, Peter was emboldened and asked to get out of the boat. I do this. Feeling great after some time with God, trusting his plan, I say something like “Lord, I want to serve you! I want to do what you want! Let me do that please.”
And God says “OK. Step out and do this.”
I look around like Peter and focus on the size of the waves, the force of the winds and what I can’t see under the dark sea. I start to sink. My reaction is to stay in the boat. It’s super easy to get out of the boat when the sea is as smooth as glass. That’s not scary. It’s predictable. But when getting out of the boat involves a stormy mess, well….that’s different.
What we want to say is “Lord, I want to follow you anywhere as long as it’s a smooth ride and there are no problems.” But that is not how it usually works. Trust is most often built when you are in the thick of it.
When Peter realized he was in over his head, he did cry out to Jesus. And immediately Jesus reached for his hand. I love the word used in the MSG when Jesus addressed Peter. Faint-heart which means lacking courage.
I am so Peter. I am bold one minute and faint-hearted the next. But Peter did a couple of things I could learn from. First, he believed that Jesus could make him walk on water. Next, he did step out of the boat. Because he did, he had an experience with Jesus that no one else had. And finally, when he started focusing on his own abilities instead of what Jesus was doing, he refocused himself and cried out for help.
Maybe the lesson is this. Throughout life, you are going lack courage and you are going to want to stay in the safety of the boat. As long as you know where to go to get your bold back, you will do just fine.