Day 7 – Defying logic
“But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:26-31
We try to understand, but our answers fall short. When they see something they can’t explain, they say, “It is a ghost!” Jesus says, “No, just me, don’t be scared” (my phrasing). It is in this moment that Peter does something interesting.
In seeing Jesus in this new way, Peter desires to be like Him and asks if he could come out and join him. Jesus, tell him to come. So Peter, like no other human has done, steps out of the boat.
He wasn’t alone in the boat; there were other disciples in there. They may have been wondering why Peter would get out of a perfectly good boat. But Peter got out and walked on water. We don’t know how many steps he took, but he did.
And then he sank. Not because Jesus wasn’t strong enough, but because it says, “he saw the wind.” Peter started looking at the circumstances, and what was happening wasn’t logical; it shouldn’t be possible.
Jesus isn’t limited to what is possible; he just encourages us to have faith and come, even if there may be a perfectly good boat.
Inward: Immanuel, what do you want me to know? Am I seeing You in some way but trying to make sense of it in another way, calling you a ghost, calling it luck? Is there an area where you are asking me to step out and trust you, even if it isn’t logical?
Outward: Immanuel, what do you want me to do? Am I quick to sink, looking at circumstances instead of at You? Is there someone around me who has stepped out of the boat, and am I cheering them on?
