Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
I recoil when I hear people say that the people of the OT had it so hard because they had to live by works but we have it so much easier because now we get to live by faith. Not only is the theology of such a statement dead wrong, the people in the OT had to live by faith and in trust of the Lord and His promises, just as we do. The Bible knows no salvation apart from the grace of God coming to sinners through faith.
But it is the second part of the statement that gets me; Easy? Living by faith is easy? I have to say with all due respect, I have no idea what such a person is talking about, and I would guess that neither did Peter.
This account tells us that this is not easy. First, it makes it clear that life is often a storm…some might not be threatening while others certainly are. And the fact of the matter is that it is incredibly difficult to concentrate when there is a great deal of noise and turbulence around you. Walking with Jesus through a field of daisies is one thing…or on a nice stroll down the beach.
But walking with Jesus in the midst of a storm, of pain, of suffering…in the kind of circumstances that cause one to wonder if the entire world is flying apart…well…that is another thing altogether.
It would be easier by far to concentrate on Jesus if it were not for the spray in your eyes, the wind whipping your clothes, standing in the middle of an angry sea in the darkness of night.
But life, as the Bible tells us so many times, is more like a storm than a beautiful calm. Over and again, in fact, the Bible uses the image of a storm at sea, of fierce winds and high waves, to describe the trials, afflictions, sorrows, and disappointments of life. “All your waves and breakers have gone over me…” the Psalmist says in Psalm 42 in describing the troubles through which he is passing.
So, the reason faith amounts to a fixed concentration on Jesus and his work and his word is precisely because life will throw us a thousand powerful distractions: sinful desires, the temptations of the world, the deceits of the Evil One; the seemingly unending sorrows, disappointments, anxieties, troubles, difficulties, and trials of life.
We have a nearly perfect picture of life in that scene that Matthew has painted for us. A man standing in a storm with nothing under him but thousands of feet of water, at least nothing that he could feel. No wonder he must concentrate.
No wonder he must fix his eyes on Jesus. No wonder he must hold fast to him. Nothing short of that will keep him afloat. (RSR)
The second thing the text makes clear is that the storms are sent by the Lord himself precisely to strengthen our faith by testing it and trying it. This entire episode begins with that strong verb “to compel.” Why were the disciples out in the middle of the lake in a storm, in the dead of night, rowing furiously?
Well, they were there because Jesus commanded, literally, compelled them to get into the boat and cross to the other side. Jesus told them to go and the verb used is quite intense and they, rightly, did what the Lord told them to do.
They were in this mess, in this particular storm because Jesus commanded them to set out across the sea in that boat. If anyone was responsible for them being there it was Jesus himself.
In other words, the storms of life are not things that happen to us, willy-nilly. They are not accidents. They are not even troubles we have brought upon ourselves – though they can be that, of course, and are often enough.
So long as we are in this world we will find ourselves at sea in the storm. And different storms and different trials for everyone. But here is what we cannot miss: Jesus calmed the storm in this case, as soon as he got into the boat Himself. If he wanted to, he could have calmed the storm, any time before that. He could have given them smooth sailing.
But the Lord thought that these disciples needed the storm…they needed the hours of grueling rowing against the wind.
Whatever you find yourself in right now, or tomorrow, what does it make you think to consider that Jesus could very well be saying, “I have brought this to you, because you need this.”
Notice I didn’t say that you WANT this, but that you need this. Our problem is that we often get so embittered and frustrated by the storm that we don’t listen…we don’t hear what the Lord is saying…the storm teaches us little to nothing and that is why the Lord will then speak louder, which of course He is willing to do. But you think this storm is your undoing…just wait until He is required to speak louder to you!
How many of us have stumbled precisely where Peter did, when we lost sight of Jesus in the tumult of our desires, circumstances, our fears, our disappointments? How much we need to learn his lesson: concentrate, concentrate, concentrate! And on Jesus only. Look at him standing before you.
See him; whether standing before you on the sea, or sitting on his throne in heaven interceding for you and ruling over all things for the church. See him stilling that storm as soon as he got into the boat. John tells us that as soon as he was with them in the boat they got immediately to land.
What power he holds in his hand and wields on behalf of his people! Look at him as he raises Lazarus from the dead. See him promising his disciples that he would never leave them, always be with them through his Holy Spirit. See him hanging on the cross and bearing in himself the punishment our sins deserved.
See him rising from the dead the third day. See him ascending to the Right Hand. Look at him as he comes again. Look at him judging the living and the dead and separating his sheep from the goats.
That is the concentration of faith that we should school our minds and hearts to have more and more, until it is their condition every moment of every day.
Prayer: Father, I desire to live this day in humble confidence that You are with me always. Help this promise to extinguish quickly the onslaughts of the evil one, the pressures of the world and the condemnation of my own heart. You love me with an everlasting love and have sealed that love in the victory of Jesus. When I doubt, may I be overtaken by the power of the Spirit to make my stand knowing that You are with me always, even to the end of the age, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: I Need Thee Every Hour