Read: Matthew 14:24-34
30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
It had been a full day of ministry for Peter and the disciples culminating in the amazing miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand with one young boy’s lunch. How exciting can things get?
Then Jesus sent them across the sea while He went alone on the mountain to pray. In the middle of the night, He came to them in their storm-battered boat, walking on the water. They at first didn’t recognize Him, thinking it was a ghost. When He came into full view Peter asked if he could join Jesus on the water and Jesus said, “Come on.” Incredible! Peter was known for such acts of bravado – this wasn’t his last. But here he was having disregarded the dangers, he had jumped out of the boat.
Everything was good as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, appropriately the object of his faith. He didn’t calculate what he was doing in comparison with Jesus, he just jumped. But seeing the wind and the waves, his view of Jesus was obscured, and as he exchanged fear for faith he began to sink.
He cried out a different confession, “Lord, save me!” With one hand Jesus grabbed him, put him back in the boat, and questioned his limited faith saying, “Why did you doubt?”
Would you have doubted? Why? Remember, doubt means being in two minds...