We all know the story. They were in a boat, and the waters were rough. And there was Jesus, walking towards them. Some were frightened, thinking Him a spirit. When He got closer, Peter said that if it was indeed Him, to bid him come to Him on the water. Jesus did so. Peter started walking ON THE WATER. But when he noticed the wind swirling around him, he became afraid, and started sinking. He cried out to Jesus to save him. Which He did. Of course, Jesus gently chastised him for having doubts, for having little faith. But still, He saved him. Because that's what Jesus does.
Anybody who has the faith knows that feeling. It is a sinking feeling. It feels like you are about to fall either through the earth or off of it. One is as bad as the other. And it makes you question your faith, wondering what in the world is wrong with you, because after all you are a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool, born again, singin' the gospel, Bible thumpin' follower of the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen and Amen.
Well, hate to tell you this, but being a Christian does not mean we will not face those trials. Big trials and little teeny weeny ones too. Sometimes we will be on the mountain, but many times we will be in the valley. That's life. That's the way it is. That's how the cookie crumbles...no, wait, that's a different story...
The word faith, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, actually has several meanings. But the ones that caught my attention are these:
1. Allegiance to duty or a person - loyalty
2. Belief and trust in and loyalty to God
3. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof
4. Complete trust
Faith is a noun. It is the thing we cling to, it is the thing God instructs us to have, it is what Jesus told Peter he did not have enough of. It is what pulls us up when we are down, or when we are facing something horrific. It is that sense that God will take care of His own no matter what the situation.
Faith is also a verb. It is the action taken when we believe. It is the use of that thing that makes us believe. It is the act of believing itself. It is walking on water.
When Jesus bids us come to Him, stretching out His hand for ours, will we walk towards Him without hesitation? Will we successfully walk on the water and do it in faith? Or will we take our eyes off of Him, looking at our own circumstances, and then become afraid, faltering and sinking? And when we cry out to Him to save us, will He?
There are many things God asks us to do in faith, but we often are too afraid to do so. I am like that, worrying about my comfort zone. But I have learned that to be successful, to be of use, to be willing, I must indeed take that first step. I must give in and give up and abandon myself to His will. And I must trust Him.
If we do those things, then we will be surprised to find that we can indeed...walk on water! Blessings!
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