Walking on Water - or Not!

Walking on Water
- or Not!

Mudeford Quay can be a dangerous place. Two rivers, the Stour and the Avon, combine here to flow into the sea just opposite The Needles on the Isle of Wight. The flowrate is scary fast. Cross-currents are treacherous. To navigate takes skill and local knowledge.

So on a recent visit, imagine our surprise at the scene pictured here. A boat is powering from left to right - upriver- to head towards Christchurch. And then there's this. Moving the other way is a very confident fisherman - walking. Miracle? No, sandbank. He evidently knew exactly where it was safe to place his feet.

When Jesus walked on water there was no sandbank. It was the middle of the sea, not near land at all. And his disciples, who had gone ahead of him in boats, were finding the going tough. It was 'choppy', to say the least. Severe enough for seasoned fisherman to have to work hard at the oars to make headway. And then ...

... like a mirage, Jesus approaches, walking towards the boat on the water. The disciples are petrified - who wouldn't be. They think it's a ghost. To allay their fears, Jesus calls out to them to reassure them that it is him. Small wonder that the episode ends with his disciples worshipping him and acclaiming him to be 'truly the Son of God' (Matthew 14 vs 33). That story alone would be worthy of the retelling. But in between, there is the bold account of Peter, who calls to his Lord "If it's you, tell me to come to you - walking on the water". And Jesus does. And Peter does!

Fine Faith

It all starts out so well. Peter clambers down over the side of the boat (not just a rowing boat, this) and steps out boldly towards his Master. Confident that the One who has power to walk the waves also has the authority to enable him to do the same. 

We would love to see ourselves as believers in this role, wouldn't we? Unshakeable, solid faith that trusts Jesus; trusts the promises of God without hesitation, come what may. Faith that is firm. That moves us towards doing great things for God. That displays Christ's power in us over the world, the flesh, the devil. And, at least for a while, by the grace of God, we do experience those strong times. God blesses, and we trust. In the face of trouble and trial, we hold firm, displaying to our brothers and sisters in Christ what it looks like to walk with Him. But ... and so often there is a 'but' ...

Failing Faith

... we falter! As is often observed with this story, when our eyes are off Jesus and we are more aware of the intimidation of our environment - in his case the howling wind and the size of the (gulp!) waves, we lose it. We start to sink. And once you start, you are going down. Next stop, Davey Jones' locker. Jonah - here we come. But here's the thing. God sent the large fish to save Jonah. Peter had something greater - the Son of the living God. And so do we.

The amazing thing about living for Christ is that we have to learn how to fail.

We need to get used to it. We're going to do it more than once. But it doesn't take God off-guard. See what Peter does:-

Now, his eyes are back where they belong - on the Lord. And his prayer is one we find echoed in our own hearts - "LORD, SAVE ME!!!"

The next word is the heartener - see it? IMMEDIATELY! Immediately, Jesus is there, his hand reaching for Peter to raise him - well - back to his feet. When we pray that prayer, there is no time lapse between the prayer and the provision. You are not left to your own devices in your struggle. Your Lord doesn't let you sink a bit lower 'to learn your lesson'. His hand is stretched out to you - take it, take it now. And here is the thing. That is just as much the action of faith as getting out of a boat in the midst of an ocean. Don't let the devil or anyone else say it's a sign of dismal failure. We learn just as much - perhaps more - from episodes like these as when we're on top.

Future Faith

The next bit is not recorded. But I want us to imagine it. How did they get back to the boat? Only one answer - Peter is leaning on Jesus as they walk the walk. It is doubt that started the sinking. But it is faith that brings Peter back. So learn how to fail God's way. Let it end up leaving you leaning. Trusting your Lord to uphold you and bring you through. Teaching you that success isn't about how strong your faith is. It's about how strong your Lord is.