Welcome to Week 2 of the Life of Peter and to the iconic story of Jesus walking on water. That’s such a common reference and so much a part of our lexicon that we can forget that two people walked on water that day, Jesus…and Peter!
As with last week (and likely every week in this series), the passage of scripture is quite brief, so each day’s reading can be just one or two verses. Don’t neglect reading the Related Scriptures as these will be helpful in your consideration and answering the reflection questions.
Special thanks to my wife Tracy, who wrote this week’s model prayers.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Jesus Prays
Observe
Jesus sends his disciples and the crowd away so he can spend time alone in prayer. (The crowd being referred to here was the famous “feeding of the five thousand,” so getting them to leave Jesus alone would have been no small feat.)
{Matthew 14:22-23 ESV}
{22} Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. {23} And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
{Matthew 6:5-13 ESV}
{5} “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. {6} But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. {7} “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. {8} Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
{9} Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. {10} Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. {11} Give us this day our daily bread, {12} and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. {13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
{1 John 5:14-15 ESV}
{14} And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. {15} And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
{James 5:16 ESV}
{16} Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
The word Matthew uses here for the manner in which Jesus sent his disciples away means “force or compel.” They had to be out on the lake for the storm to find them, of course, and that’s central to the story this week. But Jesus also wanted to get alone and pray. Consider that for just a moment—God the Son wanted (needed!) to pray to God the Father. At times we all come up with rationalizations why we can’t or don’t need to spend time in prayer. How about this old favorite: “Oh, God already knows what I think?” Well, who knows the mind of God better than God himself, and yet in his humanity Jesus was eager to get off by himself and pray.
- Is there ever a wrong time to pray?
- What rationalizations do you find popping up in your thoughts when you want to avoid praying? How do you overcome them?
Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence, ever and always, even when I neglect time with you. Lift my eyes to see that even Jesus, the Lord Christ, sought you in prayer. Remind me of my need and the joy and relief to be found in prayer. Draw me to you through every circumstance, in joy and sorrow, through quiet times and chaos. Amen.
Day 2
The Storm
Observe
The Sea of Galilee is very prone to sudden storms. The body of water itself is quite low (700 feet below the Mediterranean sea level) and surrounded by the mountain range forming the Jordan valley with peaks nearly 4,000 feet high. At night in particular, the cool air would rush down the mountains and collide with the warm air rising from the water that had been heated by the sun all day, and you had sudden and very intense storms. The disciples had been rowing for hours with no effect and were now several miles out from land when Jesus came to them.
{Matthew 14:24-27 ESV}
{24} but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. {25} And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. {26} 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. {27} But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
{John 6:47-51 ESV}
{47} Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. {48} I am the bread of life. {49} Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. {50} This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. {51} I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
{Matthew 28:18-20 ESV}
{18} And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. {19} Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
{John 17:5-16 ESV}
{5} And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. {6} “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. {7} Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. {8} For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. {9} I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. {10} All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. {11} And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. {12} While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. {13} But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. {14} I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. {15} I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. {16} They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Jesus wanted his disciples in this storm. He knew it was going to happen when he made them get in the boat and leave, not to mention that he could have prevented it (or stopped it as soon as it started) without ever leaving where he was praying. The storm wasn’t punishment, it was something that happened naturally and often on this body of water. Jesus wanted to teach his disciples something through this storm. When the winds whip up and the waves are high, that doesn’t mean God has abandoned you or is punishing you. Jesus says “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
- Why do you think the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus when they saw him?
- What did Jesus offer them as a reason for why they should take heart and not be afraid despite the storm around them?
Father God, it’s storm season again. I still feel weary from the last crisis but another is about to start. How, oh Lord, can I get through this storm? The answer is always You. Your love. Your presence. Make me a little more brave today, a little more persistent to seek your voice and a little more patient for you to step into this storm at just the right time. Amen.
Day 3
Peter’s Steps
Observe
Peter asks Jesus to command him to come out of the boat and walk on the water over to where Jesus was, and so he does.
{Matthew 14:28-29 ESV}
{28} And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” {29} He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
{Hebrews 11:1, 6 ESV}
{1} Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. … {6} And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
{Joshua 1:9 ESV}
{9} Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
{John 20:29 ESV}
{29} Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
{2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV}
{18} as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
{1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV}
{12} For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
{2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV}
{7} for we walk by faith, not by sight.
We have seen this recurring theme a lot lately, where God asks his followers to take a first step in faith, even before God brings the miracle that delivers them. Yet among the collection of similar stories, this one is still unique. Peter did not wait for the storm to end, he asked Jesus to command him while the storm was at its peak. In addition, Peter didn’t need anything beyond the step of faith itself. The commanded step of faith (which in this case was, literally, steps), was the entire miracle.
- Why do you think Peter wanted Jesus to command him to walk on water?
- Why do you think Jesus granted Peter’s request?
Dear Lord, Stepping out in faith is made real in this story. Not just a step, but what could have been a deadly plunge. Fill my mind with the power of your salvation and your command of the elements, my work, my family, my fears and my sorrows. In spite of all these things, you command me to follow and, so, you will make it possible. I praise you. Amen.
Day 4
Little Faith
Observe
Upon reaching Jesus, Peter sees the fierceness of the storm and his faith becomes riddled by doubt.
{Matthew 14:30-31 ESV}
{30} But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” {31} Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
{Luke 17:5-6 ESV}
{5} The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” {6} And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
{Matthew 17:19-20 ESV}
{19} Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” {20} He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
{Matthew 21:20-22 ESV}
{20} When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” {21} And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. {22} And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
{Matthew 13:31-32 ESV}
{31} He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. {32} It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Jesus calls Peter “you of little faith,” which to our ears might sound like a criticism. But Peter’s little faith was true faith indeed! Think about what that little faith accomplished. It allowed a man to climb out of a boat in the middle of a raging storm and start walking on water. Would that we all could have such little faith! Was Jesus scolding Peter for his doubt? Perhaps. But perhaps it was just as much a term of endearment, much the same way as a parent might affectionately call a child goofball or knucklehead while bandaging a knee they’d skinned by not looking where they were running. Yes, the storm made Peter doubt and begin to sink, but Jesus did not let him drown (or even sink!). Jesus immediately reached out and rescued Peter.
- What sort of things make you doubt your faith?
- What has God done to keep you from sinking in doubt?
Help me to remember, Lord, your faithfulness to Peter. Help me to remember the times you have been faithful to me. Bring to mind every instance of your faithfulness, and help me to stack up those memories into a marker in my soul. Raise up that marker in my memory when doubt rears its head. You have given me this faith and it is not in vain. Thank you Lord for drawing me through doubts and fear back to the path you have for me. Amen.
Day 5
Storm’s End
Observe
When Jesus and Peter reach the boat, the storm abruptly ends. The awe-struck disciples worship Jesus.
{Matthew 14:32-33 ESV}
{32} And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. {33} And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
{Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV}
{17} Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, {18} yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. {19} GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
{1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV}
{16} Rejoice always, {17} pray without ceasing, {18} give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
{James 1:2-4 ESV}
{2} Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, {3} for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. {4} And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
{Psalm 59:16-17 ESV}
{16} But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. {17} O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
When the storm ended, the disciples worshiped Jesus. This is the first time Matthew records them worshiping Jesus and it’s also the first time they called him the Son of God. Perhaps the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus when they saw him because they weren’t looking for him in the midst of the storm. If they had been, and if they had been certain of who he was, their reaction to the storm and to seeing Jesus in it would probably have been very different.
- How can we praise God even from the middle of the storm?
- What should we do when the storm ends?
Thank you Lord for this salvation, for not leaving us to sink forever in our sin. Thank you for the times of peace and rest. Strengthen us in those times of quiet, after the storm, and prepare us for the next trial. When we are in a time of peace and rest, show us where you are at work in the stormy lives of others and use us there as ministers of your peace. Amen.