Would you like to walk on water? I’ve often thought it would be pretty cool. In those dreamy moments I picture a calm sea with glassy-still water. But the night of Peter’s maiden voyage as water-walker was dramatically different. I’ve been on the shore of the Sea of Galilee during a storm and was glad to be locked inside our room at the Kibbutz. The wind ripped leaves from trees and slammed them against our window along with pounding rain. If you had asked me then if I’d like to walk on the Sea, I would have shuddered and asked if you were crazy.

My wife and I had been in a boat on that sea earlier in the day. I can’t imagine being in a boat that night. But such was the night when Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water. Such was the night when Peter asked to get out of the boat and walk to Jesus.

“And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ And He said, ‘Come!’ And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

As a fisherman by trade, Peter had been in plenty of those storms. He probably knew people who had drowned. When you’re out on the sea where the water is deep, you have no desire to hop out of the boat and try to walk. Add a violent storm and it would probably take four men just to pry you out of that boat. But there was something profoundly different about this night.

The disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea. In the midst of the storm. It must be a ghost! Their fear was eased a little when Jesus spoke to them. Peter recognized the voice. Peter trusted that voice. Out of that faith, he asked to come out to Jesus. So far, so good. Peter was rightly focused on the Lord.

Peter’s focus was Jesus. He addressed the Lord, walked toward the Lord. Jesus was his goal on this watery stroll. His eyes were on Jesus. But all of that changed in an instant. He was still headed in the right direction when “seeing the wind, he became afraid”. He took his eyes off Jesus.

Have you recently taken your eyes off Jesus? Have you become distracted by the turbulence around you? As I write this, our world is in the midst of chaos. Confusion tempts us to doubt our Lord’s wisdom and ability to protect us. Wave after wave of information pounds our faith. We’ve lost sight of Jesus in the storm.

All hope is not lost. God has given us expertise for storm navigation: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We are called to walk by faith as our spiritual forefathers did (Hebrews 11). But God knows that we are easily distracted by all sorts of things. When the storms of life rage around us, we are tempted to stop walking by faith.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus is more than just a wise thing to do. It is what faith does.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus is more than just a wise thing to do. It is what faith does. Jesus admonished Peter the water-walker for his lack of faith. Peter didn’t lack faith altogether. He stopped practicing faith when he saw the storm surrounding him. Like us, when he saw the effects of the storm, he concluded that this wasn’t the time for trusting in Jesus’ power. It was time for worry and fear.

The opposite of looking at the stormy surroundings isn’t closing your eyes. Some people think that’s what faith is—a blind leap in the dark. But faith is not blind. True faith is rightly informed about why it can trust Jesus. Faith has learned what is true about Jesus, His love, sovereign power, wisdom, goodness.

Faith may not be able to see the outcome. Faith may not be able to see the means for keeping us safe. But faith is convicted that it can rest in what is true about God: “faith is the…conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). We should never “take a blind leap”. Rather, faith takes the next step not knowing what will happen but firmly trusting that Jesus will see us through it. Faith fixes its eyes on what it knows about Jesus.

Before we come down too hard on Peter, pay attention to his next response. Matthew reports that as Peter began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” That is significant. Peter recovered just enough to set him right again on the path of faith. He cried out to Jesus for help. Returning our focus to Jesus returns us to walking by faith. Focusing on Jesus enables us to “walk on water”. Return your gaze to Jesus and rest in Him to see you safely through the storm.

Doubt prefers to trust in our own ability to worry our way through it.

We can’t help being aware of the storm raging around us. Being aware of the storm is not a lack of faith. Faith wavers when we turn our eyes from Jesus to focus on the storm. Doubt prefers to trust in our own ability to worry our way through it. Doubt prefers to trust in our ability to muster up our strength to weather the storm. Crying out to Jesus is the way back to active trust in Him. Once your eyes are back on Him, keep them there.

Under the fig tree:

Can you walk on water? Do you realize it is a miracle to make it through life’s storms with godly character intact? It only happens when you keep your focus on Jesus. What is tempting you to take your eyes off of Jesus?