What happened next?

Most of us have probably read or heard the story of Peter walking on the water.   If you haven't, here's the gist.  

After a busy day of ministry, Jesus takes some time by himself and sends the disciples across the sea by boat. 
It gets very windy and they are only part way across, when Jesus is seen walking on top of the water towards the boat.   The disciples must have been very busy dealing with the sailing conditions, but on seeing someone walking on water they all freak out, thinking that it's a ghost. 
Peter, however, somehow recognises something about figure - and calls out "If that's you Jesus, tell me to come to you".  
As it is Jesus, he does call Peter, who climbs out of the boat and walks on water.  Peter suddenly becomes aware that the wind is boisterous, and he starts to sink!   Jesus reaches out to him and raises him back up.

For most of the times I have heard this taught in church or bible college, that's where the story finishes.  While there's certainly LOTS of things that can be drawn from that, this week I was struck by a single sentence, right after that part...

Matthew 14:32 (KJV) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Peter had to walk back to the boat!

Just think about that for a moment - read it again: Peter had to walk back to the boat!

Sometimes we step out in faith and something doesn't quite go the way we expect, but how often do we let that stop us from doing so again.  Peter did something that almost nobody else has ever done; he walked on water!!!!!!!! That's incredible.  Then his humanness kicked in, he looked at the circumstances and he sank and Jesus had to rescue him... But the amazing thing was, Peter walked back to the boat.  The thing he had screwed up, he did again and this time he made it all the way back to the boat without sinking.

Just because we mess something up, don't do it perfectly or let a bit of doubt and unbelief cause us to miss it a bit, doesn't mean we're out for the count!   Jesus lifts us up and says 'Let's do this again. I'm here!'

Today I want to encourage you to let Jesus lift you up and help you step out again and walk on the water with confidence, no matter what has happened before.

Have a great week. 

Abi

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teabags and Popcorn!

Image
So, I was eating popcorn yesterday and drinking a fruit tea and I started wondering what makes a popcorn pop! (As you do). With a little help from Google, I found out that inside the kernel, the hard shell, there is a little bit of moisture and when it heats up inside, it turns to steam and as you keep heating it up, the pressure from the steam builds and builds until it cracks open the hard exterior and makes a yummy snack. And then I thought about my teabag (I do promise there will be a spiritual application to this, not just information on my food and drink habits).  The label had come off the teabag, so I didn't know exactly what flavour it was, until I poured on the boiling water and tasted it! As promised... the spiritual bit!  We are like teabags and popcorn!  This is a deep spiritual truth!  Really it is!  Read on and I'll explain why! Firstly we are like popcorn because when heated up, whatever we stir up inside us will burst out.  We're also like teabags too.  We
Read more

Looking back

Image
This week I was listening to a message and I was reading the verse in Luke 17:32 which simply says " Remember Lot's wife ."   This is a really interesting statement. When Jesus tells us to consider something or remember something we should pay attention. So what do we know about Lot's wife?  Not a lot really.  But what we do know is that an angel of the Lord took her by the hand to lead her out of the city before God destroyed it.  She was told to run for her life and not look back.  According to Genesis 19, she ran but she turned and look back and as a result, turned to a pillar of salt.  This short verse really spoke to me for a number of reasons.    The Apostle Paul tells us " I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. "  (Phil 3:13 TPT) Since 2020, it's like we have a new category in history BC now stands for BEFORE COVID! People a
Read more

See for yourself!

Image
The New Year is often a point in time where we consider new beginnings. We make new year's resolutions and wipe the slate clean and start over, and while goal-setting and change isn't bad, in spiritual terms, will-power alone isn't enough to effect change.   Real and lasting change begins on the inside of us. It begins with seeing on the inside with the eyes of faith before we ever see something with our natural eyes on the outside.  What do I mean by that?  Well, think about Joseph.   Joseph had a dream that he would one day see his family bowing before him.  He had to walk through rejection from his family, slavery, false accusations and prison before he saw that with his physical eyes!  He had a dream and I believe he held on to that dream every single day. If Joseph had seen himself to be helpless, forsaken and lost he would have had the opportunity to fall into despair and do nothing.  The chances are, that would have kept him a slave or a prisoner until he died.  What
Read more