Summary

The article reflects on the importance of faith over fear, drawing a parallel between the author's personal experience of almost sinking in a pool and the biblical story of Peter walking on water.

Abstract

The author shares a personal anecdote of trying to float in a pool while their children were creating turbulence, which led to a moment of fear and near-sinking. This experience prompts a reflection on the story of Peter walking on water from Matthew 14. The author highlights Peter's initial bold faith in stepping out onto the water at Jesus's command, but also his subsequent fear and doubt that caused him to sink. The article emphasizes that, like Peter, we must maintain focus on God's power rather than our circumstances to overcome fear. It encourages readers to trust in Jesus, even amidst challenging situations, as this faith can be a powerful testimony to others.

Opinions

The author admires Peter's boldness in asking to walk on water but also identifies with his moments of doubt and fear.
There is an acknowledgment that human limitations are real, but with God, the impossible becomes possible.
The author believes that our faith can wane when we focus on our problems instead of God's ability to help us through them.
The article suggests that moments of doubt and fear are opportunities to call on Jesus for help, which can lead to personal salvation and can also strengthen the faith of observers.
The author expresses a personal connection with Peter, recognizing the duality of strong faith and moments of weakness in their own life.

If You Want to Float, Make Sure Your Faith Is Greater than Your Fear

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of floating on your back in a swimming pool.

I enjoy being in the water. I’m not a strong swimmer, but I do love to float. It’s soothing and relaxing, and sometimes I can actually feel myself drifting off to sleep as I lie there … unless my two children happen to be in the pool with me at the same time.

They jump and splash around so much, they increase the turbulence of the water in the whole pool. The back float then becomes more like white water rafting on your back — without a raft.

I know this from experience because it happened recently

There I was, floating on my back in the pool, letting the worries of the day fade away as my children played happily beside me.

But then the play got rougher, and so did the water upon which I was floating.

I did a pretty decent job of maintaining my equilibrium for a while. I tightened and released my abdominal muscles in response to the way I felt the water moving under me.

Suddenly, the water that was just covering my ears starting covering half my cheek. Then, it was up to my mouth and my nose, and it was moving too rapidly for me to adjust successfully.

That’s when the fear set in, and I felt myself sinking further down into the water.

And I thought about Jesus and Peter

As I flailed, readjusted, and pushed myself back to the surface, I remembered that incident in Matthew 14.

You know the one I mean.

Jesus had just finished His miraculous feeding of the 5000+ crowd with five loaves and two fish — and don’t forget each disciple had a basket of leftovers to carry “home” with him!

Jesus told the disciples to go on and get in a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee without Him, so He could send the crowd home and spend some much-needed alone time with His Father. I guess they thought He was going to take another boat across the sea later.

He had other plans.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them:“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said,“why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:25–33, NIV)

Peter started out with big faith

Reading this story again for what must be the hundredth time, I’m struck by how big and bold Peter’s faith seems here, at the beginning.

“Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d ever be as bold as that — even if I did see Jesus already out there walking on the water Himself.

Many times, I think, ‘Yes, Lord. You can do that. But I can’t.

And, while that’s true — I can’t do stuff like that on my own — it shows I’m still living with a focus on what I can do under my own power, not what God can do in me and through me with His power.

“…with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, NIV)

Peter, at that first moment, was focused on what God could do.

Pretty soon after, he wasn’t.

He let his fear get bigger than his faith

I love Peter. He’s probably my favorite disciple, just because I identify with him so much. I can totally see myself cutting off the ear of my Savior’s attacker one minute, and then denying I know my Lord the next. I’m filled with that same sort of zeal — and the same sort of duality.

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.” — “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” written by Robert Robinson in 1757.

Peter started out confident that His Lord could hold him up over the waves, but then he took his focus off Jesus and put it onto the supposed “reality” of the situation.

These waves are kind of crazy.

This water is really deep.

I’m going to drown.

But God

Even as he sank down beneath the waves, he knew Who to call on.

“Lord, save me!”

And Jesus picked him up and kept him from drowning. He called him out on his lack of faith, but He kept him from drowning. And other people saw and believed in Jesus as well.

What waves are pulling you under today and covering your nose and mouth so it’s hard for you to breathe? Take your eyes off them for a minute, and turn to Jesus.

Call out to Him to save you, and believe that He will.

He will help you float above the terror of your circumstances.

And who knows? Your words and actions of faith may be all it takes for someone else to get to know Jesus better.

This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family, and fun.

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