Rev.
Debbie Cato
Psalm 22:23-31 and Matthew 14:22-33
Holy
God, There are days where the wind is
loud. There are days where the rain tears through the trees, and the storms of
life beg for our attention. So just as
you stilled the wind and the sea, still our wandering hearts. Quiet our
restless minds. Reach out your hand to
us and pull us into your Word so that we might hear, really hear, your message
to us today. With one foot out of the
boat, we pray, amen.
Rescue Me from Danger
We don’t know if they the disciples go into a boat that Peter owned or a boat that the Zebedee’s owned. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. What we do know is that, just as Jesus asked, the disciples got into a boat, rowed out into the water to wait for Jesus. While they waited, night came and a storm came up at sea and tossed their boat all about. The storm was brutal, and the wild waves tossed the boat all about. The waves splashed up and over the boat, soaking the disciples and filling the boat with water.
The disciples, who were experienced fishermen and used to storms, were
terrified. The disciples thought they were going to die. Finally dawn came and
seemingly oblivious to the storm, Jesus began walking out to the boat to meet
His disciples. But that too, terrified his already shook-up disciples. They
thought he was a ghost. Who else would walk on water? Jesus said to them, “Do
not be afraid. It is I.” Do not be afraid. It is I.
In
Matthew’s account, after hearing Jesus’ voice, Peter boldly says, “Lord, if it
is you, command me to come to you on the water”. Jesus replies, ‘Come’. (It sounds a little bit like “Come follow
me,” doesn’t it?) Jesus invites Peter to
come to him. He doesn’t command him. He
invites.
To his
credit, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water. Matthew doesn’t
tell us how far Peter walked; that isn’t the point. The point is that Peter got out of the boat
and took a step of faith and walked on water.
Peter’s action in getting out of the boat at Jesus’s invitation is a
striking picture of faith. It took courage to get out of the boat. It took
courage to step out on that water. Particularly in the midst of a raging storm. It took courage to take that step of faith.
No one
asked Peter to get out of the boat and walk toward Jesus. The other disciples didn’t ask him to do it.
Jesus didn’t ask him to do it either.
When Peter said, “Lord, if it is
you, command me to come to you on the water”, Jesus invited him. He didn’t command him. Peter made the decision to step out of the
boat onto the water in faith. Peter had
the courage to walk toward Jesus.
Peter
takes that courageous first step of faith and walks on water. Then he takes his
eyes off Jesus - for just a moment - and notices the strong wind. He remembers
the storm all around him. He sees the waves swirling around him, the water
splashing over his body. He becomes
frightened. “What did I think I was
doing,” he must have thought? “Why did I
think I could walk out to Jesus?” “I am
weak. I am not strong enough. My faith
is not strong enough.” What do you tell
yourself when you doubt your faith? When
you doubt your ability to do something? When
you convince yourself you won’t make it through a crises?
Danger is not always physical. Sometimes, danger manifests as despair. We are called to reach out to Jesus in storms – in our darkest hour. The story of Peter walking on water and sinking isn’t a tale of doubt; it’s a narrative of faith. When Peter steps out of the boat, he demonstrates remarkable courage and trust in Jesus. Only when he shifts his focus to the raging storm does he sink. Like Peter, we may sink amid life’s challenges. However, as we are sinking, Jesus rescues us.[1] Just as he rescued Peter.
Sometimes, the danger is of our own making. Sometimes we sink simply because we had the courage to show up. Other times, we sink because we focus on what’s crashing around us rather than focus on God. Often, we grapple with what has made us sink without realizing that Jesus focuses on how much he loves us. Jesus extends a rescuing hand—and his love is greater than whatever causes us to sink.[2]
Jesus is the Rescuer. Ultimately, Peter’s story demonstrates that God is near, not simply because we have doubted, but because we have had the faith to get out of the boat and start walking toward Jesus.
I believe
that God honors us and meets us in our lowest places. We can find hope and
salvation, cry out to the Lord as Peter did, and discover that Jesus has more
faith in us than we have in ourselves. Peter’s cry, “Lord, save me!” is an
acknowledgment of need. What happens next is a beautiful revelation of our Savior’s
heart—rescue, not shame and guilt.[3]
You see, God does not expect us to do it alone!
He is with us in the despair and doubt and storms of life. He never leaves us.
Peter took those first steps. He got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. And then Jesus was there. When Peter shouted, “Lord, save me!” Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.
Isn’t that a realistic picture of every believer who chooses to follow Jesus? We
step out in faith, eager to respond to Jesus’s invitation, but we soon take our eyes
off Jesus and focus on the storms of life swirling around us. We doubt and find
ourselves sinking. It’s incredibly human.
I think true faith is all about having doubt. But we are asked to take those first steps. We may stumble and fail but it is that step of faith, that step of courage that matters. God will catch us. He is there – whether we can see him or not. Whether we sense his presence or not. He is there. “Take heart,” He says. “I am here. Do not be afraid.”
I want to
close with a poem written by Rev. Sara Speed with Sanctified Art.
Rescue Me
Rev. Sara
Speed, Sanctified Art
I’d
rather not need rescue.
I’d
prefer a five-step plan
and a
quick-fix solution.
I’d
prefer stubborn insistence
over
honest vulnerability,
because
rescue requires
asking
for help.
Rescue
names
the
rising water.
Rescue
sees
the
tired, treading feet.
Rescue
feels
the swell
of the wind
and the
rain at a slant.
But when
the floor falls out
and the world is on fire
and my
small hands
cannot
fix the hurt welling in me,
the
prayer that slips out
is rescue
rescue
rescue
me.
God is a
rescuer. He doesn’t judge. He doesn’t shame. He seeks after us. He reaches out to us. He never stops loving us. We can take those steps of faith, knowing He
is always there to catch us, to reach out His hand and grab us, to hold
us. We are His beloved. That never changes. Amen.
[1] Terence Lester.
Sanctified Art. Wandering Heart. Commentary
on Matthew 14:22-33 & Psalm 22:23-31.
[2] Terence Lester.
Sanctified Art. Wandering Heart.
Commentary on Matthew 14:22-33 & Psalm 22:23-31.
[3] Terence Lester.
Sanctified Art. Wandering Heart.
Commentary on Matthew 14:22-33 & Psalm 22:23-31.
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