How to Walk on Water

The Setting
Matthew 14:29-31 speaks of an incident that is well-known to most of us, whether we are Christians or not. It begins with a description of a terrible storm on a wide lake in the middle of the night. Could the setting be any scarier?

Thirteen men are stranded in a fishing boat, waiting out the tempest, when they look across the lake and see something coming toward them. As the figure gets closer, it takes the shape of a man, and one of the sailors recognizes it as Jesus. But Jesus is walking toward them, strolling across the waves, unhampered by the winds blowing around him. What an incredible picture! Then it gets even more amazing...

One man in the boat, Peter, calls out to Jesus, asking permission to join him on the water. Next thing you know, Peter is out of the boat, doing just that. Was Peter's unusual act brave or just plain crazy? I believe Peter's little stroll on the sea was a testament to the power of faith. Even better, I believe that same power is still available to us who believe in Jesus today.

Now don't get me wrong, I didn't say we can all go out to the nearest large body of water and step to the top of the waves for a little afternoon constitutional. But the same power which upheld Peter as he walked on the sea that day is the power that saved us and is at work in us right now.

Who Is That Guy on the Water?
Peter's step of faith began with recognizing who Jesus really was. Just before this incident, we read that the other men in the boat thought Jesus might be a ghost. In verse 27 Jesus comforts them with the words, "It is I." However, these words are better understood when translated literally. Jesus told them, "I am." This is the very statement for which the Pharisees wanted to stone him because it is the Old Testament term for God. Christ tells his closest disciples it is "I AM," creator of the wind and waves, who is coming to you.

Peter apparently fully believed Jesus. He had no doubt when he stepped onto that wind-whipped water that Jesus could hold him up. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, the Messiah. But then the experiment went terribly wrong. Peter started looking around at the reality of his situation and began to doubt the power of Jesus to uphold him. He also began to sink.

Why Didn't it Work?
Right in the middle of this miracle, Peter questioned his earlier faith, took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the problems surrounding him. Apparently the roaring winds and crashing waves were too much for his faith. "It is one thing to see a storm from the deck of a stout ship, another to see it in the midst of the waves" (Bruce).

Of course, the story ends with Peter crying to Jesus for help, and Jesus reaching out to pull him to safety. So how does this translate to us walking on water today?

Peter demonstrates the faith we must have to leave the safety of what we think we need to get by (the ship) and trust Jesus to show us the way to reach our true goal. Walking on water - doing what seems impossible to us - depends solely on our faith in Him. Jesus told Peter to come to him not just so Peter could experience the thrill of walking on water. No, it was really a demonstration of the Master's power and the power of Peter's faith.

The experience also made Peter come face-to-face with his own weakness. As Peter sank, Jesus scolded him for his lack of faith-but at the same time Jesus reached out to rescue him. The cry of distress once again brought the power of Jesus into action. And note that Peter's faith took him so close to Jesus that a mere outstretched hand could reach him. Jesus is never far from those he loves.

5 Principles of Walking on Water
So, these are the principles for walking on water which we can take away from this passage:

• Peter was able to walk on water because he was upheld by the power of Christ.
• When we call to Jesus he hears and helps us achieve our mission
• When we take our eyes off Jesus and focus instead on our problems we begin to fall
• If you base your faith on what you can see and can logically explain, you, too, will sink under the weight of that "truth."
• If Peter could walk on water in the middle of a huge storm, he certainly could have done so on calm water. The storm makes no difference.

So how do you walk on water? Only by faith. And Peter is proof that you don't even need a lot of that... just enough to step out of the safety of the boat!


References:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/matthew-14-29.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/matthew/14.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/peoples-new-testament/matthew/14.html?p=3

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/robertsons-word-pictures/matthew/matthew-14-30.html