Stepping out

Monday June 10, 2013

They shielded their faces from the salt-laden spray that seemed to come from all sides.

In the pre-dawn hours, crouched down in the rocking boat, they peered across the waves and saw…
What was that? A ghost?

Their terror grew.

And then, He spoke. Jesus spoke, across the wind and waves.

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27).

The Book tells us that one man in the boat spoke up. Peter.

Peter didn’t say, “Are you sure?” or “What do you guys think?”

He heard Jesus. He recognized His voice, and he connected immediately with Him. If I had seen Jesus walking on the stormy waters in pre-dawn hours, what would I have said?

The mom in me would have said, “Lord, be careful!” And I’m pretty sure that would have been followed by a request to quiet that crazy storm and ensure my own safety. But what does Peter say?

“Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to you on the water.” (verse 28)

What? Did Peter just ask the Lord to summon him to step on the rolling waves?

What is he saying?
“Could I do what I see Jesus doing?”

When Peter realizes he’s in the company of Christ, his desire is to do what Christ is doing. He asks the Lord to call to him, and he vows to come.

At Write to Publish, a writers conference in Wheaton, Illinois this past week, Bob Hostetler shared these observations about that storm-filled night in a message entitled “The Right (Write) Focus.”

His prayer sums it all up:

“I want to do what I see You doing, Lord. Call me to that, and help me not to be distracted by all these other things.”



I'm linking up with Laura, Michelle, and Jen today.

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