VIVID ENCOUNTERS: When Peter Walked On Water

If you know Jesus, then I am sure that you met him in a time and place different from mine. Maybe it was a seemingly simple decision, or maybe it was the lightning strike to a slowly dying world within you – awakening you to something new, to a new life, a new way of living, a new way to be human. But it really doesn’t matter who you are or what your story is. Regardless of where you’re from or what you have done, one thing is certain.

Walking on water is a vivid encounter for us all, each and every time.

Peter:  famously known throughout history for walking on water. A feat that no one other than Jesus had ever done. It was the middle of a storm, in the middle of the night. Something about seeing this man that he had given his whole life for, this Jesus he had chosen to follow, something about seeing him walking on water was utterly vivid to Peter. On the same water he had spent countless hours and days on, seeking fish to eat, sell and make a living from. Water that he had spent days attempting to predict not only for profit but protection as well. These waves were relentless, and if a storm should arise, well, the the depths of danger were something to be very wary of, especially in a time of shifting wooden boats. Peter had spent his whole life immersed in a world of waves making a living, a way of life, in a space completely out of his control. Intimidating waves and unpredictable circumstances – but this Jesus! This man he had given everything up for was walking on those very waves. The ones he couldn’t control, the ones he was afraid of, the ones that had defined so much of his life up until that point.

What Peter saw in that storm was vivid hope.

These waves could be tamed. These circumstances could be changed. No matter how beyond him they were, perhaps they weren’t beyond his savior.

He had the hope of Jesus to rely on, and so he stepped out of the safety of the boat.

Nothing about this story makes sense on Peter’s merit.

He hadn’t been practicing walking on waves; he wasn’t prepared in any way for the storm. He simply knew this hope, this Jesus – vividly.

He took the risk of stepping on waves that were beyond anything he could do or earn.

And he stood where he stood because of Jesus’ faithfulness and provision. Faithfulness to be all that he says he is, and provision to really be present in storms, to meet us in our need.

Peter stepped out onto rocky waters, and he needed something he could stand on. He was propelled into a situation where Jesus and only Jesus could provide.

 And, he hesitated. 

I have read this story countless times and wondered what would have happened if he had just kept walking, if he had just been confident. Would Jesus have wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulders, telling the boat to continue on saying, ‘We’ll walk back!’. Would Peter have been the first one to surf? What if just one more step of those completely unpredictable waves had led him to stand on a solid rock? I wonder if he would have walked beside whales or even danced on those waves.

Wasn’t it obvious to Peter?

Would Jesus have ever even called him out onto those waves if he could not hold him up and provide for him? Wasn’t it enough?! He was already standing on the waves! How much more assurance did he need that Jesus was more than enough for his present circumstances?

The fact that he was even in such a situation of walking on water, to even have the option of sinking or standing was complete testament to Jesus’ provision. He would have never even had that opportunity to doubt if Jesus hadn’t already provided a place for Peter to stand and walk.

I ache to know what could have been if only Peter had never questioned the power of Jesus’ presence.

And yet, how many of us have stood where Peter stood without realizing it? How many of us are walking on water already? How many of us are in circumstances and situations that from the boat were impossible? Impossible even a year ago, 6 months, or yesterday?

In spaces that without God’s faithfulness and provision we would have never been able to step into, let alone stand. Situations that only his faithfulness could lead us to.

And I wonder,

How many of us are hesitating to take the next step?

The winds are howling and the waves are raging, but take a moment to remember where you once stood, where you stand now, and how the presence of Jesus changed everything.

I wonder what you’ll step into if you just take one more step. I wonder what you’ll see, what you’ll do.

Although standing on water is already an impossible feat, I wonder about the depths beneath these oceans. I wonder what you’ll discover.

I wonder what adventures are to be had when you take just one more step into his presence.

Perhaps where you stand has changed over time and decisions – from a rocking boat to relentless waves – but not much else has. He is still your foundation, still the one sustaining you.

And that’s a vivid truth of the hope we have in Jesus in a world that is ever changing.

The power of his presence in impossible situations is unmistakable. It’s vivid, unforgettable.

As all people walking on water are.