There is More to Life than Sitting in the Boat

August 9, 2020

Matthew 14:22‑33

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So, Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

Dear Friends:

When I was 11 years old I fell out of a moving motor boat. I was the driver. There was no one else in the boat.

I learned many things on the water that day: a driver-less fishing boat with small motor does not go in a straight line and a circling, out of control boat draws quite a crowd of spectators.

From that experience, I feel some identification with Peter and what he learned from Jesus as he got out of the boat. Peter presents us one of the greatest pictures of extreme faith in the entire Bible. Peter, the water walker. Now, that is not what I was aspiring to that day when was 11 years old. But since then, my aspirations have changed.

Looking at this story a little closer we learn Peter and his friends got into a boat one afternoon to cross the Sea of Galilee, just as Jesus had requested. Jesus wanted to be alone, so they were boating without him.

Sometime during the night, a violent storm came up. Peter and company fight to keep the boat upright and they’re scared. This is a big storm! Then about 3am one of them spotted a ghost-like shadow moving toward them on the water. The closer it got, it became apparent that it was a person walking on the water.

Well, it was not a ghost, but Jesus and he’s decided it was time for the people in the boat to get to know Him better. He shouts out: “Hey guys, you can trust me. You know my character and competence. You can safely place your destiny in my hand. Take courage. It’s me.”

The crew in the boat did not fully grasp it yet, but amidst their fears and emotions, God was visiting them in the water-walking flesh.

The Bible story doesn’t tell us how 11 of the people in the boat responded to Jesus’ voice. But we learn how Peter did and he’s about to become a water-walker. He recognized God was present and he decided to take a big step of faith and trust God completely!

Peter blurts out: “If it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter asks for permission. He seeks to figure out what God wants of him. He asks, “If it is you, command me to follow your lead.”

Before I go further, I want you to put yourself in the story. Picture in your mind how violent the storm was that it kept seasoned boaters struggling just to stay upright. Imagine the height of the waves and the darkness of night and no Dramamine. These were the conditions under which Peter was going to get out of the boat. What would you have done?

Put yourself in Peter’s place. You suddenly see Jesus on the water and he’s open to having you go on the adventure of your life. But at the same time, you’re scared to death. What would you choose? The water or the boat?

The boat is safe and secure.

I believe there is something, someone inside you and me who tells us there is more to life than sitting in the boat. We were made for something more than avoiding risk and failure. There is something inside us that wants to walk on the water — to leave the comfort of routine existence and abandon yourself to the high adventure of following God.

So, let me ask two very important questions: What holds you back? What is your boat?

Your boat is whatever represents safety and security to you apart from God. Your boat is whatever you put your trust in, especially when life gets a little stormy. Your boat is whatever keeps you so comfortable that you don’t want to give it up even if it is keeping you from joining Jesus on the water. Your boat is whatever pulls you away from the high adventure of boldly following Jesus.

You want to know what your boat is? Your fear will tell you. Just ask yourself this: What is it that most produces fear in me, especially when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith?

What is your boat? In what area of your life are you shrinking back from fully and courageously trusting God? Fear will tell you what your boat is. Leaving it may be the hardest thing you ever do.

But if you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat.

Peter, as he gets out of the boat, takes a huge step of faith. He lets go, abandoning himself utterly to the power of Jesus. And for the first time in history, an ordinary person walks on water.

Peter beams with delight. He has locked his eyes on Jesus as he moves toward Him.

Then it happens. Peter “sees the wind” the biblical story tells us. The enormity of his step of faith faces reality and he starts to sink. What has really taken place is that Peter’s focus has shifted from the Savior to the storm.

Do you know what it is like to see the wind? You begin a new adventure full of hope as you take a big step of faith. Maybe it is a new job; a marriage or maybe your trying to serve God in a new way. At the beginning you are full of faith. You are seeing the growth. It is exciting.

Then reality sets in. Setbacks. Oppositions. Obstacles. You see the wind” and fears build. But here’s a truth about water-walking: The fear will never go away. Why? Because fear and growth go together like macaroni and cheese. It’s a package deal. The decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and comfort. To follow Jesus you must release comfort and security as primary values in your life. And that is sobering news to most of us, because we like comfort.

When Peter lets fear replace faith on the water, he started to sink. But did he fail?

Someone once asked Winston Churchill what prepared him to risk political suicide by speaking out against Hitler during the mid-1930’s, a time known as the years of appeasement. Churchill replied, “It was the time I had to repeat a grade in elementary school that prepared me.”

“You mean you failed a year in grade school?” he was asked.

“I never failed anything in my life,” Churchill replied. “I was given a second opportunity to get it right.”[1]

When Peter started to sink, Jesus was immediately there, reaching out his hand, rescuing him. And perhaps that’s key learning for us as we choose to get out of the boat to more boldly follow Jesus. He’s there — aware of our fears — available to help step forward into boldly living the life God wants for us.

My friends, God’s way for growing a deep, adventuresome faith in us is by asking us to get out of the boat. If you do, two things will happen. First, when you start to fail (and we all do) Jesus will be there to pick you up. You will not be alone. The second thing is, every so often, you will walk on water.

[1] You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, John Ortberg, 2001