MAJOR KEY: Faith
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
BIBLE STORY: In Matthew 14, we find the 12 disciples in a boat on the shore waiting for Jesus who had gone to pray after feeding the five thousand. Many hours had passed and the winds brought the boat out to sea in the midst of a storm with violent waters. Jesus came to where they were and proceeded to walk on the water toward their boat. Jesus assured them that he was the Christ when they became afraid and thought He was a ghost. Peter, my favorite disciple, challenged Jesus by telling Him to invite him out of the boat. When Jesus invited Peter, Peter walked on the water but when he saw the wind he sank.
MY TAKEAWAY: Many interpretations of this text describe this moment as Peter losing faith in Jesus causing him to sink, but I have a different perspective. This passage describes a moment where Peter had absolute faith in Christ and himself but fear caused him to lose faith in his own abilities. Peter challenging Christ meant he had to challenge himself. This game of "truth or dare" required both Jesus and Peter's participation. In order for Peter's faith in Christ to be fulfilled, Peter had to hold his part of the deal by actually stepping out of the boat. The moment Peter's foot made it out of the water, Jesus proved His power. That power allowed Peter to walk all the way out to sea to where Jesus stood. But when Peter saw the wind, he forgot who he'd become. Remember your identity! When we have faith in Christ, we can do the impossible because all power that belongs to Him is now in us.
““O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””
Jesus asked Peter why he doubted himself. Whenever something happened to Jesus in the Bible, He identified Himself. (ie. “Who was it that touched me?; My God, why have you forsaken me?) Jesus couldn’t be asking Peter why he doubted Him, because Jesus held his part of the deal - Peter walked on the water! I think Peter doubting in himself led to his own demise.
The storms may be great, but our God is greater. We must see the storm (Perspective), say "yes" to our calling (Power of Yes), remember who we are (Identity), and believe we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Faith). In our lives we are faced with many storms and winds that keep us inside of our comfort zones or "boat". Very often we are not alone in the boat either. We have our loved ones, friends and colleagues who believe but are in the same situation as us. In the midst of the storm, we see Jesus calling out to us and we trust Him, but the conditions of the storm hold us back. Its not until we have the faith in ourselves to step out of those comfort zones that we discover the true power of the Christ we believe in.
I hope you enjoyed this Major Key Alert series! God truly revealed things to me that I'd never discovered before. I pray this series was a blessing for you as much as it was for me. Please leave questions or comments below, I'd love to hear from you.