28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Impulsivity has both an upside and a downside, to neither of which Peter was a stranger. His gaffs are well known, like his adamant but short-lived profession of loyalty to Christ. There was no guessing his thinking or feelings at any moment, but calculation was not his strong suit. The upside is that where the timid hold back, those with impetuous faith move ahead.

Peter dared to engage his fears, boldly calling out to what might be the Lord. His thinking went like this. First, he had to make sure it was the Lord out there walking on the water before taking another step. Second, he better be certain the Lord wanted him out there. Third, he figured he would be safer out in the storm with the Lord than in the ship with 11 fearful, boat-hugging disciples.

The presence of Christ eclipsed his fears of the storm. One can only imagine the thoughts of the other men in the boat. Was Peter crazy? To a sailor, the safest place is in the boat—even if it is sinking, wood still floats! Abandoning all earthly security must have seemed foolish. But Peter was not influenced by what others thought; all that mattered was to hear and respond to the Lord’s voice, so that he could be with the Master in the time of storm. As is often quoted today, “If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat!” Faith meant letting go of human securities and reaching to the Lord.

Yes, Peter began his faith-walk well, but he began to sink when he shifted focus off the Lord onto the storm. Some say he just needed to believe that he had the ability to walk on water, because after all, the Lord believed he could do it. But that puts things backward. He walked on water as long as his eyes were on Jesus—when he had faith in Christ, not his own self-confidence.

Peter cried for help and Jesus lifted him out with a rebuke, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Rebuke? Yes! But, I’d rather be chastised for little faith, than be ignored because of no faith. Some Christians don’t experience the exhilaration of God’s powerful presence because they are paralyzed by fear: of circumstances, of failure, of missing His “perfect” will. Peter failed, but he walked on water and the others did not! The old saying goes, “The only way to steer a parked car is to first get it moving.” The same is true for faith-walking.

Lord, help me to know Your will without being endlessly bogged down in “seeking your will” – that I might boldly step out in faith

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