Try to imagine yourself in a boat with the disciples, emotions are heightened, exhaustion has set in, waves are beating the boat and tossing you about. Suddenly, you see a shape walking on the water. As if being in the storm wasn't scary enough, you are all thoroughly frightened now by what you think is a ghost. The ghost says that he is Jesus and Peter asks the Lord to command him to walk out to meet him.
How in the world did such an insane idea occur to Peter?
What a miracle that he was able to walk on the water even for a short time before fear of the winds sent him sinking!
From the comfort and safety of my chair, I find it easy to think "Peter, you were going so well, what happened?"
But if I had been on that boat, I would have been shouting at Peter over the noise of the storm "are you nuts, what are you trying to do? Don't get out of the boat!"
You have to give it to him, it took some gutsy faith to step out on that water. True, it was just a flash of faith, but what a fantastic faith it was. I can't be critical of Peter's failure since fear and doubt keep me from "stepping out out of the boat" all the time.
The Lord said to Peter after rescuing him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
If Peter's faith was little, what is mine like?
Oh that I could have bursts of flashy faith like Peter's than no faith at all!
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