JON ALLEN

Recently two of our small groups started a study called "If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat". I was intrigued by the title so I decided to read through the book on which it is based. I have been truly challenged by what I have read.

As the disciples sit in their boat crossing the sea they see a figure coming towards them walking on the water. They are not sure at first who it is, but then realize that it is Jesus. Peter calls out to Jesus and asks him to command him to come if it really is Jesus. "Come" is Jesus' reply. With that Peter steps out of the boat and begins walking on water! The scripture then says that Peter "saw the wind" and he begins to sink. As soon as he starts dropping he calls out to Jesus to help him and Jesus immediately reaches out his hand to bring him back to safety. They get back into the boat, the wind calms down, and everyone in the boat praises him.

There are tons of things that we can learn from this passage, and because I know that you probably like reading as much as I do, I will keep it to what jumped out to me the most. The very first thing is that Peter asked for a command from Jesus to step out. Many times in our own lives we wonder if God is telling us to get out of our boat, to step out of our comfort zone. I think that we believe God is mysterious and is hiding His will for us, when in fact He wants to make His will very clear to us. All we need to do is to ask for a command from Him to step out and He will show us when and where.

The second thing is that he actually gets out of the boat! I don't know about you, but I don't know if I would just hop out like that. I was talking with my small group about this and we were wondering whether he put one toe out timidly or hopped ninja-style both feet first. Then he actually walked on water, how incredible! How often do we muster up the courage to actually get out of our boat? How often do we listen to God's command and go for it? And how often do we stay in the boat like the other 11 disciples where we feel safe and where we are comfortable?

Next Peter "sees the wind" and begins to sink. Have you ever stepped out of your boat, done something crazy for God and you have this adrenaline rush for the first two weeks or so and then the opposition starts piling up? I know I felt like that when God told me to become a Pastor. I was on a spiritual high for about a month and then reality started to set in. I felt like I began to sink and had to call out to Jesus, much like Peter did, for help. Did you notice that Peter's first reaction was to call out to Jesus? Perhaps it was because He was the only one who could possibly save him. When we get out of our boat and start to sink, God is the only one who can save us... Peter called out to Him and Jesus immediately saved him. God can always save us, but we have to call out to Him before He will.

Obviously there is plenty to digest, and even more that I have talked about, but there is one thing in particular that jumps out to me. The fact that every single time we listen to God and get out of our boat we can walk on water! The only thing that keeps us from succeeding is our own lack of faith in God. If we start lacking in faith we need to call out to Him and He will immediately save us. When he does, we need to praise Him... no matter how far we sink.

What boat do you need to get out of? What is God commanding you to do? Are you one of the disciples sitting in the boat or are you going to start listening to Him today and take the leap? You will make a decision, one way or another, and so will I.