Many forget that Peter stepped out of the boat as well. He too walked on water, however brief. The only thing that stopped him was his fear and doubt.
What I love best about this story was that Jesus didn’t hesitate to save Peter from drowning. The scripture says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” (Matthew 14:31 NIV)
Immediately.
Jesus didn’t wait to watch Peter splash about or gulp in gallons of water. Jesus didn’t punish him for his failure or lack of faith. Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
This is what Jesus does for us every day. He reaches out his hand. He will catch us when we need to be caught. He will carry us when we need to be carried. Yes, through Jesus’ power we too can walk on water, but we are no less loved if we can’t. So there is no reason to hold back. There's no reason to be afraid.
Have you recently held back because of fear or doubt?
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15 comments:
Fear holds us back so many times from so many things. What a wonderful post about the one who reaches for us at all times!
This is a beautiful reminder
of His great and unconditional
love for us, Lynda. I love
and often think of this story
too. I admit fear has held
me back many times from being
the witness Christ wants me
to be. I have made great
strides in that though and
am hopefully never going back
into that kind of fear.
Hope you are doing well.
Shalom!
Sandy
Lovely Lyn. Blessings.
Lynda, I think you touched on the most important part of the story, "immediately." Praise God that HE is immediate!
Absolutely--Peter had great faith, even if for a moment. That's astounding. Not sure I could do that!
When in doubt, I think I shall hold out my hand to be 'caught' as a gesture to remember Jesus is catching me, with me always. Beautiful post.
Thanks for pointing out the word "immediately"! So true
kim
What a beautiful thought! Thrills me that He is the God of the immediate. I'll be thanking God for that...and resting on the promise it represents.
I never gave that much thought...that Jesus immediately caught Peter. He didn't punish him for his failure. That is beautiful!
If I'm totally honest - I'm doing some holding back now. Fearful of stepping out into some areas - feeling afraid of what people might think.
It's like I WANT to walk on water, but I've still got one foot in the boat.
Thank goodness, the mighty hand of the Lord still holds on to me. HE is the only life preserver I need.
OK, Lyn - you've inspired me again to start walking!!
GOD BLESS!
What a wonderful post and fantastic reminder! Thank you sister for encouraging my faith today!
Blessings,
Cherie
I love how you point to "immediately." And yes, I struggle with fear and doubt. It holds me back frequently, but I am learning how to move ahead despite those feelings. I am so grateful that God loves me anyway.
Beautiful words here. Jesus is such a romantic isn't He? I can't think of anything more beautiful than seeing Jesus hand stretched out ready to help you.
Thanks for the beautifully encouraging post, Lynda! It's a lovely reminder that Jesus is always with us and helping as we need. Just need to work on that fear and doubt!
This reminds me of one of my favorite lyrics: When I keep my eyes on Jesus I can walk on water.
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