Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:25-33)
For a moment, Peter did exactly as Jesus instructed him. He got out of the boat in the middle of a storm and began walking on water. His eyes were fixed on Jesus.
But then Peter looked away. He saw the wind—the storm raging around him—and he was afraid and began to sink.
What makes you look away? What wind and waves in your life make you afraid?
Maybe it’s hearing bad news from the doctor, experiencing the effects of a natural disaster, or being laid off at work. Maybe it’s failing in a relationship that’s not going the way you want, wrestling with your mental health, or suffering heartache at the death of a loved one.
Whatever it is, we all have wind and waves that make us afraid, that make us doubt the goodness and presence of our loving God and Father in our lives.
The more we fixate on those things, the quicker we seem to sink in doubt, fear, and despair.
What are we to do when we are afraid and sinking? What are we to do when we doubt?
In humble, Spirit-worked faith, we cry out with the apostle Peter, “Lord, save us!”
And our Savior’s response?
In his Word and sacraments, our Savior gives us his amazing, undeserved answer with the same immediacy with which he reached down and caught Peter.
Dear Christian, our loving God and Father doesn’t make us wait to hear how much he loves us; to learn what he has done to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil; to know that he is present and working in our lives at all times, using even the wind and waves for our spiritual, eternal good.
What are we to do when we are afraid and sinking? What are we to do when we doubt?
Look to Jesus—who walked on water and rules both wind and wave even now. Listen to the unbreakable promises he makes in his Word and sacraments.
Through Jesus, you and I are God’s dearly loved children. Through Jesus, all of our sins have been forgiven. Through Jesus, we have an eternal home waiting for us in heaven.
Follow the apostle Peter’s dramatic transformation in Pastor Michael Berg’s Peter: Theologian of the Cross. Find solace and strength and know that God is at work in your life, even in times of hardship. Discover a faith that not only endures suffering but also finds profound meaning within it.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House and a 2023 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation with his family.
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