The penultimate offering in my "Miracles of God" series focuses on the incredible story recorded in Matthew 14 when Jesus walked on the water.
The passage also gives us the gripping plight of Peter as he stepped out of the boat to join Jesus, defying the laws of nature as he focused on the Messiah, only to find himself sinking when he took his eyes off of his Lord.
If we feel like we’re sinking today, may we call out in faith to our all-powerful Saviour. And as we do, may we feel His reassuring grip pull us out of the sea of fear and doubt we’re close to drowning in.
This first video contains the Scriptures and the poetry verse itself. The Insight section will be in the next recording. May this meditation bless you today. Love Lucy x
The Miracles Of God- Jesus Walks On The Sea.
Matthew 14:22-33
“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
"Jesus walked on water, this made His men cry out! The passage also gives us the gripping plight of Peter as he stepped out of the boat to join Jesus, defying the laws of nature as he focused on the Messiah, only to find himself sinking when he took his eyes off of his Lord.
If we feel like we’re sinking today, may we call out in faith to our all-powerful Saviour. And as we do, may we feel His reassuring grip pull us out of the sea of fear and doubt we’re close to drowning in.
This first video contains the Scriptures and the poetry verse itself. The Insight section will be in the next recording. May this meditation bless you today. Love Lucy x
The Miracles Of God- Jesus Walks On The Sea.
Matthew 14:22-33
“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Oh, may our hearts be filled with faith to trust and never doubt.
Let’s focus on our Saviour and all that He can do.
And though the storms may buffet us, we know He’ll pull us through!"
Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.”
Insight and Reflection
Right before our text in this section of Matthew 14, Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand. Verse 22 tells us that immediately after this miracle, Jesus instructed the disciples to get into the boat quickly. We can also read about these events in John 6, and verses 14-15 give us some insight into why Jesus would have rushed His disciples away in this manner. Those verses read,
“Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”
John’s words give us great insight into the fact that the crowd had responded to this miraculous feeding with a rush of messianic expectation. Now was not the chosen time for Jesus to be promoted as Messiah the King, however, and so it was important for them to get away from the excited crowd.
We go on to read that Jesus then went up onto the mountain to pray by Himself, which shows us He was fully aware of the importance of prayer and quiet time with His Father. Even Jesus, the Messiah needed time alone with God the Father in the midst of ministry and meeting the needs of others. This demonstration is a good reminder for us to never neglect to pray and have a quiet time of restoration in the presence of the Lord.
The sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden storms and stroppy weather conditions, and as the passage in Matthew tells us, the boat was in the middle of the sea, being tossed and thrown about by the winds and waves. We read that Jesus starts to make His way to the boat, walking across the water during the fourth watch of the night.
The fourth watch is somewhere between 3am and 6am and so seeing Jesus walking on the water at this eerie hour must have been a huge shock for the disciples. There they were, in the middle of the choppy, unpredictable sea in the dead of night, when the lone figure of their Messiah, displaying authority over the natural world, came walking towards them. I don’t blame the disciples for being filled with fear and crying out, “It is a ghost!” at this impossible and supernatural sight!
The text tells us, however, that Jesus immediately spoke to them by saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Christ’s words here communicate that He didn’t come to scare the disciples but to reassure them. He commands them to put away fear and to not be afraid. This picture gives us a wonderful reminder that even in the midst of very real trouble, there is One who is more powerful and remains unfazed by our circumstances. Even in the middle of very real and frightening trials, Jesus has authority over all and is a very present help in trouble.
We read that Peter then goes on to say, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Perhaps Peter was invigorated through the miracles he had already witnessed Jesus do during his time in ministry. Nevertheless, we don’t know exactly what prompted Peter to make such an outlandish statement, but the faith he displays in Jesus here is admirable. Not only did Peter ask a courageous question, but he then boldly went on to act upon it at the command of the Lord.
As Peter gets out of the boat and walks upon the water, just as Jesus was doing, we’re given a striking example of faith in action. Peter was able to do the miraculous as long as he kept his eyes on his Saviour. It was only when he took his gaze off of the Lord and started to focus on the storm around him that things started to literally go south for Peter!
Something I find incredibly encouraging and reassuring here, however, is that even when Peter failed, Jesus was there to save him. Peter knew who to call upon in that moment, and Jesus wasn’t slow to respond to Peter’s cry for help.
Once rescued, we see that Jesus addressed Peter’s “little faith.” When his eyes were set on Jesus, his faith had allowed him to follow in the footsteps of the Messiah and overcome even the laws of nature. Empowered by Christ, Peter literally did the impossible! Yet despite the fact he was walking on water, the wind made Peter fearful and caused him to change his focus. Before he knew it, he was distracted and distraught. Filled with doubt, Peter’s little faith now caused him to start sinking, and clearly, it wasn’t the winds and the waves that endangered Peter’s life, but his littleness of faith.
Peter shows us here that little faith will often be greatly affected by its surroundings and be quick to exaggerate peril. He also shows us, however, that little faith is true faith. Little faith will pray when in trouble, and is safe because Jesus is near.
Matthew goes on to tell us that the first thing Jesus did in response to Peter’s words of panic and alarm as he exclaimed, “Lord, save me!” was to stretch out His hand and rescue him. It was only after Peter had been saved that Jesus then questioned him with the words, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Put literally, doubt means to be “divided in two”. It drives home the importance of having a faith that is single-mindedly focused on Jesus. Of course, it’s much easier said than done when we’re facing a new challenge or problem that seems too much, even for God. But God has promised us that He will never leave us, nor forsake us, and that He is with us always, even to the end of the age.
So let’s ask ourselves today, “Does God break His promises? Is any situation I’m facing right now too much for His power? Can the God who walked on water and saved Peter from drowning save me too?”
The text in this passage concludes by showing us that the disciples quickly went from fearing the storm to worshipping Jesus. This was an understandable and logical reaction, considering the power Jesus had just displayed before their very eyes. The love and care Christ showed towards Peter in this moment would likely have moved their hearts to praise just as much as the evidence of His divine power.
The passage concludes with the beautiful picture of those who were in the boat worshipping Him and saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” This image gives me goosebumps as I imagine their awestruck wonder at the miracle they had just witnessed. This portion of Scripture gives us a great opportunity to pause and take some time for reflection in our own lives. Let’s ask ourselves in this moment, “Do I feel like I’m in the middle of a storm right now? If I am, where is my focus? Is it on the wind and waves around me, or is it on my Saviour? Is there doubt in my heart and mind as to whether Jesus can help or save me? Have I called out to Him for help in these circumstances?”
If we feel like we’re sinking today, may we call out in faith to our all-powerful Saviour. And as we do, may we feel His reassuring grip pull us out of the sea of fear and doubt we’re close to drowning in. May we fix our eyes on the Messiah, cast aside doubt, and say like His disciples, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
