Eyes on the One Who Walks on Water
Read: Matthew 14:28-31; Isaiah 26:3
Preachers sometimes treat Peter as an easy target, but consider what he actually did. Standing in a boat in the dead of night, he looked at the Lord walking across the very waves that had tormented him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Notice what he did not ask for. He did not ask Jesus to stop the storm. He asked to walk with Jesus in it. And he did! Of all the disciples, only Peter ever stepped out onto the sea.
Then, Matthew says, “when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid” (v. 30). His faith did not fail because it was too small. It faltered because he shifted his gaze, and the storm grew larger in his eyes than the Saviour. Yet even then his prayer was beautifully simple: “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and caught him.
Jesus later taught that even mustard-seed faith can move mountains, so the issue is never the size of our faith but its aim. Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace to the one whose mind is stayed on the Lord. Peace does not come from a calm sea. It comes from a fixed gaze.
Whatever wind is howling around you today, or waves washing over, or rain belting down, keep looking at Jesus a little longer than you think you can.
Watch the full sermon: Youtube