Walking on the Waves 5

There is another great lesson from Peter walking on the water with Jesus, and it is summed up in a book title, "If You Want To Walk On The Water, You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat. Jesus called Peter's faith "little faith," but he was the only disciple to climb out of the boat and try to balance on the whitecapping waves.

Theodore Roosevelt summed up this emphasis when he said, "It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena......who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Many times Jesus will ask us to get out of our comfort zones, out of our boats of self-reliance, and attempt to do things we cannot possibly do by ourselves. If we dare to follow Him, He comes alongside us and gives us whatever power, strength, and wisdom we need for the tasks to which He has called us. We may not always be successful, but if we fail, He is right beside us and will reach down and pick us up just as He rescued Peter from the stormy sea. As we answer His call, we will discover that Jesus is absolutely trustworthy, and the greatest excitement in life is doing what we can't.

Father, may we never be afraid to follow wherever You lead. Thank You for Your power and strength and wisdom in our lives. May we never say, I can't," because You can. Amen.