After preaching to a large crowd one day, Jesus sent his disciples across to the other side of the lake and told them to wait for him there. We get the rest of the story from Matthew 14:25-31 which says:
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
It is tempting to judge Peter for doubting that Jesus was going to protect him but then I remember that I’m probably even worse! One of the things that stuck out to me in this passage is that Peter knew that Jesus could miraculously help him walk on water. So what was Peter’s downfall? It was when he took his eyes off of Jesus. Verse 30 says “when he saw the wind he was afraid”.
When Peter allowed his focus to switch from Jesus to the wind he became scared and started to sink. But when he returned his focus to Jesus and cried out to Him, Jesus reached out His hand to save Peter.
So then we need to ask why God would design us in such a way that we start sinking if we take our eyes off of Him. Here are a few possibilities:
- God wants us to take risks and get outside of our comfort zone so that we are always growing, but this means we are going to see some storms from time to time.
- We cannot save ourselves but that doesn’t keep us from trying! God wants us to be reminded how much we need Him.
- Sinking can help prepare us to help rescue others. In Luke 22:32, Jesus told Peter “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren”. Jesus allowed Peter to fail and, by overcoming that negative experience, he emerged stronger in his faith. Afterward, he was able to relate to others with more compassion and help them overcome by God’s grace.
As a final thought, a wise person once said that God will let you sink so low that you know you can’t live without Him and He will take you so high that you’ll know you you couldn’t have gotten there without Him.
Questions:
- Can you relate to Peter? Do you ever feel like you are sinking because you take your eyes off of Jesus?
- Do you have any stories about returning your eyes to Jesus and being saved?
- Do you agree that God wants us to sink a little (or a lot) from time to time? If so, why?
- Are you struggling with anything right now that is taking your eyes off of Jesus? If you are comfortable, please share with the group.
- Based on today’s lesson, what is something you might change to try to do a better job of keeping your eyes on Jesus?
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