One of the more famous miracles Jesus performed was His walking on water. To refresh your memory, the story, taken from Matthew 14:24-33, is provided below from the NKJV:
“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.”
Peter and the disciples are on a boat that is getting tossed around by the wind and the waves. They are full of fear, and guess Who shows up amidst their fears? Not only does Jesus arrive when they need Him, He appears walking on the water – clearly demonstrating His power. Seeing Jesus coming out of nowhere waking on the water was understandably troubling, but Jesus again immediately responds to their cry of fear by telling them it is Him, and with Him they do not need to be afraid.
Peter’s next statement is really something, and I believe it is one of the reasons Jesus loved him so. Peter asks Jesus to command him to walk on the water to Him. Think about this situation – Peter’s “fear factor” has to be pretty high. But he boldly responds to the word of the Lord – “do not be afraid” – by asking Him to command him to walk on the water to Him. Peter, with all his heart, mind, and soul, believed the Lord for a brief few moments and trusted Him enough to face his fears and do the impossible. It wasn’t Jesus giving Him the power to walk on the water, it was Peter’s sincere faith that he could go to Jesus under any conditions that allowed him to take the first step or two successfully.
As Peter kept walking, the conditions got worse, he lost his focus on Jesus, he became afraid, his faith diminished, and he began to sink. Peter cries out what we all should cry out when we feel like we’re sinking, “Lord, save me!” And Jesus immediately did just that. Next, he chides Peter by saying “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” See – it was Peter’s faith in Jesus, not Jesus granting him the ability, to walk on the water.
God is perfect (Matthew 5:48) and He is love (1 John 4:8), so when it comes to fear, God can overcome it. 1 John 4:18 clearly states this fact, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love [God] casts out fear.”
If we’re honest with ourselves, we all have fears. Some of these fears may be simplistic while some may be very complex. Simple or complex, fear causes a wide range of problems and can make us feel out of control and powerless. I believe that God allows ungodly fear to draw us close to Him and to learn how to trust Him. Like Peter, the only way we will ever be able to overcome our fears, is to trust in the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, step out in faith in Him and do the impossible. What “walking on water” step is God commanding you to take as a testimony to your faith in Him?