We cannot take long strides until we learn with faltering baby steps first. It often runs through my mind when I am about to try something new. It is better to step out in the little faith we might think we have, then to remain in the boat as the other disciples did.Ī long time ago I read a book by Erwin Lutzer called, ‘Failure, the Backdoor to Success.’ It had a huge impact on me, and I have never forgotten this phrase. So he knew that if this person was Jesus and not a ghost, that He could help him walk on the water. He had seen the people fed with two loaves of bread and five fish. We can risk when we know who we are risking for! Peter was willing to put Jesus to the test – “if it’s really you, tell me to come to you” (verse 28) Why? Because Peter had seen that Jesus was good, compassionate, powerful. Lewis’ book, ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.’ “ Course He’s not safe. My daughter made a quilt for me with one of my favorite quotations. Be willing to be a ‘risk-taker’ and obey.Our focus will shift off the situation and onto our Shepherd. Gradually the fear will subside and faith will grow. If we have to do that fifty times a day for that certain fear, then we do that. We meditate on a scripture promise to combat the enemy’s lies. He says, “I am here.” (verse 27b) Find that quiet place in Him. It’s the small daily choices that build up our foundation of faith so that we can make the big leaps of faith later. We don’t need to wait for the big choice. Every single time we choose over the fear, our courage will grow. (verse 27a) This involves stepping beyond our feelings, and instead, making a conscious choice with our will. The first thing that Jesus said to the disciples is this: Don’t be afraid, take courage.Principles for Growing our Mustard Seed Faith What can we learn from this story of Peter? What are some principles of how our mustard seed faith will grow? This is a process, just like the mustard seed growing into a beautiful luscious tree that the birds nest in.
Trust only grows as we let go of us and grab onto Him. But how that mustard seed grows depends on what we do with it. I believe we all have that mustard seed of faith within us when we first profess belief in Him.
No! God gives us everything we need to live a life for Him. I only have a little.” “Oh, wow he is a giant in faith, me, well, I don’t know.” Sometimes we look at our faith like this, “She has a lot of faith. Yet this seed can grow into a tree anywhere from six to twenty feet high, even as high as thirty feet. 05 millimet res, a dot on your fingertip. Now I did some reading on mustard seeds and trees, so to help you picture it, try holding one of your fingers up. “He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He will exhort us to get up, learn, and try again. The God I know does not get down on us when we try and trip up in the process. (verse 31) I believe that Jesus may have said these words to Peter with a smile on the corner of his mouth and with love, because he was actually proud of what Peter had attempted and wanted to encourage him to keep trying. Jesus didn’t say to Peter that he had no faith. But I would like for us to focus for a bit on what Peter did, and not on how we may think he failed. We hear of how Peter sank into the water and we are exhorted to have a faith that genuinely believes and walks on the water and moves the mountains. I have often thought that Peter gets a bad reputation when this particular story is preached. I have always dreamed of being able to meet Peter one day and talk to him about all the ups and downs he went through. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Matthew 14:22-31 Jesus Walks on the Water
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