Seth Carter

Have you ever been startled when you see someone or something that you didn’t know was there? Sometimes in dim light or when my mind is otherwise distracted, the sight of someone approaching when I am not expecting it is unsettling. In our home, it’s happened a number of times that if I come home early or walk in when everyone is in another room, that my unexpected presence causes a fight-or-flight response. At the point that my wife steps quickly out of a room to find me there or hears my voice close behind her, her reaction can be … abrupt. Accusations have been made that I “sneaked up” on her. These accusations cannot be confirmed …

Can you think of a time when you suddenly saw someone who wasn’t there a second before? Has it ever happened to you in a remote place? What about in the middle of a lake?

In Matthew 14, Jesus sent the disciples in the boat to go back across the Sea of Galilee; he was going to go and dismiss the crowds. The disciples probably assumed he would walk back with the people, but Jesus instead went up on the hillside to spend time praying. In the middle of the night, Jesus decided to take the shortcut and walk across the lake instead of around on the land. 

As you might imagine, the middle of the lake is the last place they expected to suddenly see someone walking, and being late at night (early morning more likely) in their sleepy frame of mind, they were alarmed to see a figure walking toward them. A ghost seemed the only reasonable explanation and they were terrified.

Jesus spoke to them, “It’s me! Don’t be afraid.” 

Peter’s reaction was, “If it’s really you, command me to come out to you on the water.”

“Come,” Jesus replied.

And Peter climbed out of the boat, over the dark, wind-beaten water, probably testing his weight on the surface and began to walk to Jesus. 

Matthew writes, “But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord save me!’”

Peter didn’t have special shoes that enabled him to walk on top of the water. It wasn’t a skill he had been practicing. He had probably never imagined that it was even possible! The reason Peter walked on the surface of the lake was because Jesus called him to do it and Peter had his focus locked on to the face and will of his master. He was fine! He was walking on water! What an amazing feeling it must have been. Suddenly, he noticed the strength of the wind and remembered where he was. He may have felt the waves splashing against his legs and realized that what he was doing wasn’t natural. 

“No one has ever done this before!” “I’m just a man!” “How will I get back!”

The fear, excuses and insecurities came crashing at him like the waves and he took his attention off of Jesus. At that moment he started to sink.

I want you to know today that you can trust Jesus. Of utmost importance is the fact that he wants you to know that you don’t have to fix yourself to be loved and known by him. In a few short weeks we will celebrate Easter, when we remember that Jesus died in our place, and then rose again, defeating death and sin! Repent of your sin and ask him to forgive you.

If you have already trusted Jesus to save you, then trust him to be your master and Lord! When he calls you, he intends to give you what is needed for obedience. The only thing you or I supply is the choice to trust and obey. Don’t waver but focus solely on the love and strength of our master Jesus. Peter later wrote: 

“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust,”  2 Peter 1:3-4

We may never walk on water — Peter didn’t do it twice — but we can experience and partake in the divine nature in other and no less miraculous ways. Stepping into care for an aging parent, the endurance of parenting children well or a new leadership opportunity can be daunting. I’m tempted to respond to things based on how I feel, or how much energy I have. What I need to do instead is look to Jesus and hear him say, “Come.” 

This week, in the wind-beaten circumstances of your life, entrust yourself to the miraculous possibility that Jesus can keep you afloat.

(Seth Carter is director of Campus Ventures in Powell.)