Matthew 14
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
You've heard sermons and lessons on this Scripture SO many times... don't look at the waves...just look at Jesus....etc. I'm not here to minimize the power of your focus, but can we agree to give Peter some props here? The dude had never seen someone walk on the water before. Jesus had never spoken about walking on the water. I mean...it's Jesus, he can do what he wants. But me? Nahhh... I'm human. At least that's what most of us think like.
Against all odds, Peter makes a crazy request and gets a scary response. "Lord, if it's you...tell me to come to you. And Jesus tells him to come! At this part in the movie, the ship disappears and Peter's first surfing lesson and extreme wipeout are in full-focus. But pan the camera back and notice that inside the boat are 11 scared men sitting on the sidelines. Guys who served the same Jesus, sitting in the same ship, in the same storm, looking at the same Savior, hearing the same speech all sitting idle.
Real Talk: That's probably more like you and me. It's easy to critique the water-walker from the safety of our comfort zone. We pray, "Dear God give us safety, comfort, and joy," never realizing the miracles that can happen when we're brave enough to pray dangerous prayers. Then, at our request, God always provides a word to walk on. Faith comes from Christ, and we lack faith because we lack the ability to pray for it.
What's your ocean? You know, that place just outside your comfort zone that seems immeasurably deep and dangerous? Deep down you want to conquer it like others have, but maybe you've been content just watching from the fellowship of comfort. Can I challenge you today to pray a dangerous prayer? For instance, "God, please do whatever it takes today to draw me closer to you." Shhhhh...just wait.... Listen for a word. Then, when God speaks, trust him enough that you won't drown, even amid the sinking feelings of your own doubt.
#WeAreLimitless
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