In chapter 14, Matthew tells us about Jesus walking on the water in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Peter is invited to join him and does so. For about a minute! He takes his eyes off of Jesus and looks around him at the wind and the waves and immediately goes down.
To my knowledge there has never been anyone else who legitimately walked on water like Jesus did. I remember Rao back in the 1960’s. MacArthur tells about him; he was the “Hindu holy man who flirted with fame in 1966. The old mystic believed he could walk on water. He was so confident in his own spiritual power that he announced he would perform the feat before a live audience. He sold tickets at $100 apiece. Bombay’s elite turned out en masse to behold the spectacle. The event was held in a large garden with a deep pool. A crowd of more than 600 had assembled. The white-bearded yogi appeared in flowing robes and stepped confidently to the edge of the pool. He paused to pray silently. A reverent hush fell on the crowd. Rao opened his eyes, looked heavenward, and boldly stepped forward. With an awkward splash he disappeared beneath the water. Sputtering and red-faced, the holy man struggled to pull himself out of the water. Trembling with rage, he shook his finger at the silent, embarrassed crowd. “One of you,” Rao bellowed indignantly, “is an unbeliever!”
If we focus on the storms in our lives they will definitely do us in; the people who hurt us, the job that doesn’t work out, relationship struggles in the family or on the job or at school, or any number of other storms that life often allows to blow across our calm seas and stir things up. Focusing on them will definitely sink our boats. But if we keep our eyes on the Lord and His word we can stay grounded. He’ll help us through the storms. And if we do start to sink, just cry out, “Lord, save me!” That’s what Peter did!
Chuck
“He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:9