Matthew 14:22-33 / Where We Face Our Fears.
Matthew 14:22-33 / Where We Face Our Fears.
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
There are a couple of things about this story I want to encourage you with today:
First, the disciple’s fears were very real.
If you think about this story, the two things the disciples were fearing were very real and very understandable. They had a storm bearing down on them, “beating” the side of the boat and threatening to sink their ship. And they also saw man walking on the water through that storm during the “4th watch of the night” which was between 3-6am.
Fear, in this situation, is understandable!
In the same sense, your fears might be very real as well: the struggle you are walking through, the insecurity you are feeling, the pain of your current situation, all of the “unknowns” that could happen – all of these things are very real.
In this story, Jesus didn’t make light of their situation or mock them for being scared. He wasn’t disappointed that they were afraid, but rather, that their fear kept them from trusting Him.
Second, yes, Peter sank, but he was the only one to get out of the boat.
I have heard this story a thousand times and the emphasis has always on Peter sinking as he saw the wind and the waves. Yes, we know he sank, we realize he took his eyes of Jesus and lost focus. But let’s also recognize that out of all the disciples Peter was the only one with enough faith to get out of the boat.
Ever thought about that?
Yes, his faith was not perfect, yes, he sank and cried out, but, He cried out to Jesus while risking to be near Jesus – and that is what separated him from the rest.
In our walks with Christ, we will all have very real fears and times when our faith comes up lacking.
The waves will build, the reality of our situation will overwhelm us, and we will begin to sink.
But Christians, let’s be sinking outside the boat.
Like Peter, let’s ask God to call us out to greater things! To things that will test our faith and require courage. Let’s risk more for His Kingdom! Risk more for the sake of others coming to know Jesus! Risk more in order to see God’s Kingdom expand in and through our lives!
Every single person on this planet is going to face a very real fear or threat at some point in their life.
The question is: Do we want to face that fear within the “safety” of the boat, or courageously close to Jesus?
Be brave this week!
Pastor Dave
If you want to dig deeper into this, need help, need prayer, or have questions—please reach out to us here: Roots Help & Prayer Form