One Stormy Night
“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.’”
(Matt. 14:25-33).
When Jesus first appears to His disciples, they turn to
common human superstition to explain what they do not
understand (cf. Acts 12:15). It is then that He said to them,
“Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’” There was no
mistaking that voice. If Isaac knew the voice of Jacob (Gen.
27:22), and Saul the voice of David (1 Sam. 26:17), and
Rhoda the voice of Peter (Acts 12:13), certainly the apostles
knew the voice of their Master. Yet, it is His self-identification
that stands out to us. He said, “It is I” (which, in the Greek, is
“I AM,” the same title of deity that God used in Exodus 3:14,
and that Jesus used in John 8:58).
It is at this point that Peter asked Jesus to command him to
step out of the boat and walk to Him on the water. Jesus
said, “Come,” and Peter obeyed. It is one thing for God to
suspend the laws of gravity and physics to be able to walk
on water, but this miraculous occurrence was also now
experienced by a mere mortal – and in this scene we
recognize that truly “with God all things are possible” (Matt.
19:26).
But when he saw that the waves were boisterous, Peter
began to sink, and cried, “Lord, save me!” – and Jesus
reached out and caught him. It was at this point that He said
to Peter, “...why did you doubt?” Peter had faith to step out
of the boat, but He soon took his focus off of Jesus (fearing
those scary waves that Jesus Himself had power over); and
with his faith now shaken, he began to sink in despair.
After they stepped back into the boat, the wind ceased. On a
similar occasion Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves,
saying, “Peace! Be still!” (and there was an immediate calm,
Mk. 4:39). On that occasion the disciples asked, “Who can
this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?!” (v. 41);
yet, on this occasion they answered their own question:
“Truly You are the Son of God.”
Friends, when the storms of life beat down upon you, and
those boisterous waves give you concern, always remember
that the same one who exercised His power over that storm
has the power to calm the storms in your life as well. Trust
Him. Obey Him. Walk with Him. When things look bleak,
always remember His words: “I AM; do not be afraid” – and
“with God all things are possible.”
Aaron Veyon
