Walking on Water

Matthew 14:22-33

 22 ¶And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to ^apray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

 25 And ^ain the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good ^acheer; it is I; be not afraid.

 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was ^aafraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little ^afaith, wherefore didst thou ^bdoubt?

 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

 33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

 I love this powerful story of the Savior. The Apostles were afraid, unsure of what they were seeing, but as soon as the Lord assured them of his identity, Peter expressed a desire to join Jesus on the water. What a frightening thing, to be out on the storm-tossed sea. It's no wonder that Peter's faith and determination faltered, when the reality of his situation began to distract him from his purpose of joining Jesus. What does the Lord want me to learn from this story? I learned that first, it is vitally important to completely rely on Jesus Christ. When I'm going through my own storms in life, if I can rely completely on the Savior, I won't falter, and not only will I make it, but I'll walk on the water! I won't be overcome by the challenges that life will throw at me, I'll be able to see how to make it. The second thing I learned is, if I falter, and I probably will, the very instant that I cry for help, Jesus Christ will save me. I'll feel his hand reach out and rescue me. I'll feel his words comfort me and give me guidance and direction and he'll send his followers to help me. I know this is what will happen, because I've felt his sheltering hand over me and my family when storms have threatened us in the past. I just had one other thought. These storms are distractions that would blow us off course and keep us from reaching the Savior. When we keep focused on him and express through our words and actions, our desires to keep his commandments and live his teachings, we'll be able to hold our course and make it back to him. His hand will always be held out to help us stay on course, we just have to ask.What do you think the Lord wants us to learn from this story? I'd love to know!