Day 15 — Walking on Water

“‘Come,’ said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’”

— Matthew 14:29–31 (BSB)

It was the middle of the night. The disciples were out on the lake in their boat, rowing hard against the wind, getting nowhere. Jesus had stayed behind on a mountain to pray.

Then, sometime before dawn, they saw someone coming toward them, walking on top of the water! They screamed, “It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus called out, “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Peter, who was always the first to speak up, called back, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Jesus said, “Come.”

And Peter did something no one else has ever done except Jesus. He climbed over the side of the boat, stepped out onto the waves and walked on the water toward Jesus!

But then Peter looked around. He saw how strong the wind was and how big the waves were. He got scared, and he started to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.

What made the difference? When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked on water. When he looked at the wind and the waves, he sank.

That’s true for us too. When you focus on your problems, they seem huge and scary, and you start to sink. When you focus on Jesus, you remember that He is bigger than any problem.

And notice two more things. First, Peter was the only one brave enough to get out of the boat. The others stayed safe and dry. Peter’s faith wasn’t perfect, but he stepped out.

Second, even when Peter sank, Jesus didn’t let him drown. The moment he cried out, Jesus caught him. When you fail, when your faith is weak, you can still cry out, “Lord, save me!” He will always reach out His hand.

Think about it: What “wind and waves” are pulling your eyes off Jesus right now?

Try this: Write “Eyes on Jesus” somewhere you’ll see it often. When you start to worry today, stop and turn your thoughts to Him.

Dear Jesus, help me keep my eyes on You, not on the wind and the waves. When I’m scared, give me courage to step out in faith. And when I start to sink, thank You that You always reach out Your hand to save me. In Your name, Amen.