Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14: 25-30, NKJV.
Dear God, here we are again. Our souls need a word from You. So please speak to us as we linger in Your presence. This we pray in the only name that brings salvation, the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we are going to look at the other side of this story. As Paul Harvey would say: “Now for the rest of the story!” (I hope I got that right!). Yesterday we spoke about the “night watches” – how everything looks so much worse – in the darkness of night. Another discovery was that the darkness of a situation, can also come as a result of us losing sight of Jesus. We noted that factors such as doubt and grief can blind us to a very important truth: Jesus is always there! Another comforting thought about “night watches” is that whatever has caused it, “this too shall pass.” And by God’s grace, joy will return with the dawning of a new day. Praise God!
Today let us concentrate on the purpose or purposes “night watches” can serve in our lives. Jesus has just assured the disciples that “it is [He]” and that there is no need to fear. Almost immediately, Peter responds: Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” “If it is You . . .” Peter will soon learn some very valuable lessons, not the least of which is:
Our victories are only possible, because “it is He”! In response to Peter’s request Jesus responds: “Come.” When we are going through some night watches it would do us good to ask ourselves: Did God invite me to come out of the boat, or did He simply allow me to come out of the boat? Whatever the answer to this question it should comfort us to know that if Jesus bids us “come,” it is because He has made arrangements to get us where we want to go. Peter began the walk across the waves with the full assurance that only Jesus could enable him to walk on water. He was doing quite well as our text reveals: “And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.”
Don’t ever make this about you. Somewhere during his walk – between the boat and Jesus, Peter must have thought to himself: “piece o’ cake.” It is quite possible that he slackened his “faith grip” on Jesus, looked away from the Savior, and began to think that probably he was the only disciple who was capable of doing this – on his own. And then it happened: “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid[.]” Had it been all about Jesus and not about himself his eyes would have been on the Savior. He would have been observing Jesus and would not have noticed the “boisterous winds” that brought fear to his heart.
When you fear, you lose your balance on life and you begin to sink. That is one of the greatest dangers of the “night watches.” The fear they produce cause you to sink into despair because you can see no way out of the situation. Everything seems so dark. The waters of doubt surround you until you are almost covered. But praise God – Jesus is only a holler away: Help me Jesus! That cry never goes unanswered. Sacred Scriptures informs us that: “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him” (31). Sometimes His hand is not readily discernible. Sometimes it is not as immediate a response as you would want it to be. But the fact that you are still alive – you did not drown – means that He heard you and snatched you out of the waves just in time – in His perfect time!
He did it for Peter. And He will do the same for you and me! Thank You Jesus!