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Day 37 Matthew 14:24-33 Matthew 14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 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 spoke 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. Are you impulsive? Do you dare yourself to do things others wouldn’t? Do you do things without thinking them through first? Peter was impulsive. He is known for doing things without thinking, and then when he was in the middle of the situation, as he was here, he realized he wasn’t as courageous as he thought he was, and realized he needed help. Jesus had been praying for most of the night, while he told his disciples to take the boat to the other side of the lake. They didn’t question him about how he would get to the other side without a boat, they just obeyed him. Then in the fourth watch of the night, the last hours before dawn, 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. Jesus went to them, walking on the water. The winds were a bit contrary at that hour. When the disciples saw him, they didn’t recognize him, but thought he was a ghost. It was Jesus who called out to them not to be fearful, and then Peter, in his impulsiveness, asked to come to him on the water, and Jesus said, Come. It was only when Peter saw the waves and felt the wind, that he began to doubt what he was capable of, and cried out for help, and Jesus helped him. As Christians, many feel they too are invincible, like they can do anything. However, when they are in the middle of whatever they thought they could do, they find they aren’t up for the task, and need help only Jesus can provide. It is in the middle of such situations, you find out you’re not as invincible as you thought you were. You also realize how much you need Jesus to take control of your life, because you can’t do it alone. It takes a lot of courage to do those things normal people wouldn’t do. Peter was the only person to get out of the boat. All the other disciples chose to remain safe in the boat. There is a time in your life when you need to get out of the boat. In those times, Jesus is testing you and preparing you for the next level in your walk with him. You can believe Peter learned a lot from what he did that day out of impulsiveness, but it also prepared him to be the leader he would become after Jesus’ resurrection. It was Peter who gave the first sermon and led three thousand people to salvation on Pentecost. Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (KJV) In your Christian walk, everything you do, prepares you for the next level in your walk with Jesus Christ. Peter was impulsive, but it was his impulsive nature that took him to the next level. If you don’t try it, you won’t know you can do it, or know what you will accomplish when you do. Let’s pray: Father, give me courage to be like Peter, impulsive for you, as you prepare me for the next level in my faith in you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 26 May 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay