Walking on Water

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said. Matthew 14: 28-29

There comes a time when we are called by our Lord to “come to Him on the water.” And it is terrifying.

Like Peter, we are afraid, in the middle of a terrible storm, and haven’t we had a chance to get a handle on things, when there we are…climbing outside of our boats, readying our feet to do the humanly impossible…

He calls. He tells us “come” and we must. That is the time when His glory shines as He drives us to the miraculous.

We all have that moment…that walking on water moment...the moment when it is just you and Him. Spectators are certainly standing by, but it is just you and Him on the water. Can you feel it? The trembling of your leg as you swing them one at a time out of the comfort of your little boat. The sweaty palms as you hang on to the edge of that vehicle that has provided your safety so far. The splinters pocking through your skin as you hesitate to let go of the wooden railing. The gentle caress of the water on your bare feet telling you, “there is no way you can stand on it and not sink.” The wind messing up your hair, whispering you will fail.

What do you do then?

There is only one thing…keep your eyes on Him!

Both feet on the water, you begin to stand, your sight fixed on His face. Suddenly, O marvelous surprise! The water does not give. He sustains you from the distance as you take your first step, more like a wobbly glide on water skiis. You slide one foot in front of the other, afraid to lift them off the…water…The eyes of all the people around are on you…Your eyes on Him.

His arm stretched out to you, and only you, for that is your moment with Him. And you walk.

The trick? Keeping your eyes above the waters, off the stormy gale, and glued to His face. The second we look to the side, we begin to sink, panic strikes and our walk is done. It doesn’t matter, though, for He is there. His arm reaches out to us and rescues us in an instant…but O wouldn’t it be wonderful to finish the walk? He knows if we will or not…the end is irrelevant…the important thing is that we did it. We took the step when He called. We walked on water, even if for a fleeting moment.

That glorious walk takes many shapes and forms. Sometimes we sense it coming, others, it comes all of a sudden, but two things are certain, it is always frightening, and He is always there to help us through.

My walk on water is approaching fast. It is going to be me, Him and a pill in an empty room. I’m bracing for it. But I know that He will be there with me. I pray I remember I must keep my eyes on His so I don’t sink. But if I do…He will pull me out, and I will be safe in His arms.

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. Matthew 14: 29-31

Linking with: Whole Hearted Home and Little R and R