Walking on Water

The story of Peter walking on water is presented in Matthew 14:25-33.

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying "it is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."

And Peter answered Him and said "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

So He said "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him "O, you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

(NKJ)

I have just returned to NY from a 5 day trip to Texas. The purpose of the trip was to make arrangements for my upcoming move there. Yes, if you didn't know it, I am moving to Texas the first part of August. The Lord is blessing me with an opportunity to fulfill some lifelong goals of serving in a ministry there. The Lord spoke to me about serving in the ministry back in October 2007. After much prayer and seeking confirmation from the Lord, I began my "walking on the water" journey that has led me to move there. You may be wondering why I'm calling my journey one of "walking on the water." Let me explain.

This past Tuesday morning when I awoke my natural mind began to think about all that I have been doing: sold my home; sold most of my belongings; moved into a temporary apartment for the summer; signed a lease on a new apartment in Texas; bought furniture for my new apartment; negotiated a teleworker arrangement with my employer that allows me to continue working for them when I move; etc. etc. After thinking about all that I have been doing, my natural mind began to think about the "what ifs for my future." Of course, the "what ifs" were not based on faith, but rather than on doubt and fear. As I was processing all of this, the Lord spoke to me about not being like Peter when he walked on the water. I notice from Matthew 14:25-33 that Peter began his walk on water when Jesus invited him to come, and that Peter began to sink when he began to look at the circumstances around him and turned his focus away from Jesus and what Jesus had called him to do. "Ah, yes Lord, I now see and understand."

Up to Tuesday morning, I have been experiencing my own "walking on water" experience since my eyes were focused on the Lord and what He called me to do. It was only when I allowed my natural mind to focus on reasoning and asking the "what if" questions, that I began to doubt and fear the future. It only took seconds for doubt and fear to fill my mind and my focus on Jesus was gone. I could feel me sinking deeper in doubt and fear when the Lord said "don't be like Peter when he walked on the water." Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me and placing me back in the boat with You.

This experience has taught me that no matter what circumstance I find myself in, good or bad, I must keep Jesus as my focus and continue following Him. I know that this may seem pretty simple, but how quickly I can forget and begin sinking in doubt and fear. Lord, I pray that you help me to keep my focus on You and walking in faith.