During His earthly ministry, the Savior called to many people in many situations. He called the weary and heavy-laden, laboring through life’s toils and troubles, to find rest in Him (Mt. 11:28-30). He called those who were spiritually thirsty to come to Him and drink deeply and find that He alone is able to quench the deep needs of the human heart and become a source of refreshment to others (Jn. 7:37-39).
He called the poor and needy, who had no means to enter a lavish feast, to “Come, for all things are now ready” (Lk. 14:17). He called the children (Mk. 10:14); He called the dead (Jn. 11:43). The spiritual lessons are obvious and are just as applicable today for those who respond to those same invitations from the One who continues to graciously offer them.
Comfort in Trials
Depending on the situation, these invitations can apply to sinner or saint, for salvation or sanctification, whatever the need may be. In Matthew 14, there is an incident in the lives of His disciples that illustrates the latter and underscores the call for believers to step out in faith in the midst of trials.
The event occurred just after the disciples had been successfully employed in the work of the ministry with the feeding of the five thousand. No sooner had they launched than they found their boat reeling on the Sea of Galilee, battered by the wind and the waves.
It would not be the only time that they experienced trouble so soon after a high point in ministry (cf. Lk. 9:27-43; Mk. 4:35-41). The Lord had constrained them to get into the boat, in order to place them in a situation that forced them to build upon the elementary principles of their faith. He does the same with us, as the hymn aptly states:
Every joy or trial falleth from above
Placed upon our dial by the Sun of Love.
(Frances Ridley Havergal)
The Lord had gone up on the mountain to pray and, when He saw the difficulty they encountered, He flew to their relief—a wonderful picture of His active intercession on behalf of the heirs of faith (Rom. 8:34). Ministry has it rewards but also its dangers, toils, and snares. However, the Lord knows this and surely sees His people through those trials.
When the disciples saw the Lord approaching their vessel, it was the fourth watch of the night—the darkest time. They thought they had seen a ghost (v. 26). Strangely, they weren’t expecting that He would come to their aid. He had helped them at other times, why not now?
The parallel passage in Mark 6:48 states that when the Lord came to them, He would have passed them by as if to simply reassure them of His presence and let them know He was aware of their need. It is always reassuring to know the Lord is there and aware of our plight. “He comes to me with new assurance” are the words we need to sing, to strengthen our hearts especially in time of trial. “Be of good cheer, It is I; be not afraid.” These were indeed the Lord’s comforting words to His frightened disciples. How needed for us also!
A Supernatural Walk
But the Lord has more in store than simply our comfort. The story isn’t just about the Lord coming to them in their time of need. It also includes a wonderful miracle. Characteristically, it is Peter who called out to the Lord and requested that He call him out of the boat onto the troubled seas. How we admire Peter! Troubled like the rest, he was still willing to take the Lord at His word and venture out into the darkness. With the invitation to “Come!” he did, regardless of his reservations and fear. But note that Peter waited for Christ’s invitation. This flies in the face of modern-day positive thinkers.
Peter’s struggle is also instructive. Believers are encouraged to boldly come to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16) and not doubt the Lord (Jas. 1:6); but, realistically speaking, we are prone to the frailties of the fallen human condition, fraught with worry, doubt, and fear. This is what Peter exhibited. Despite the fact that he desired to walk on water with the Lord, he began to sink when the realization of his predicament fully gripped him. Would the Lord fail him, even though He had called him out of the boat?
What about us? Will the Lord fail us if He has called us out of the boat to trust Him more completely than we ever have before? When He has called us to rise above our circumstances? Not at all! He would not let Peter sink amidst the waves and neither will He let us sink beneath the storms we face! The feet go down; the prayer goes up; and the hand comes out—to catch the sinking soul in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the night, amid the wind and the waves. What mercy and help to buoy the one who is of little faith (vv. 30-31). What a testimony to the keeping power of the Lord (1 Pet. 1:5). It is a powerful lesson for us all.
Walking by Faith
How does it apply to us in the crucible of life? As with Peter, the Lord challenges us to step out in faith in response to His call. He enables us to walk supernaturally as we rise to whatever occasion we find ourselves in.
What was the consequence of all these events? Verses 32-33 gives us a hint. Note that the storm didn’t cease when Peter stepped out of the boat. Rather, it was when Peter stepped back into the boat that the wind ceased. What, then, was the purpose of Peter’s walk? Could it not have been conveniently skipped? Why did the Lord allow it to happen?
Perhaps it was meant to show Peter and the other disciples what they could do when they were put to the test—a call to a higher level of understanding and ability with the help of the Lord. Peter could have stayed in the boat, but he would have missed the opportunity to learn that Christ can sustain us when we take Him at His Word and step out in faith.
Further, when the event ended, the disciples had a heightened sense of Christ’s power and of His person. They had a deeper conviction of a truth they had known previously but now knew experientially, and they confidentially declared, “Truly, You are the Son of God!” (v. 33).
Hebrews 11:6 pointedly reminds us that “they that come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seeks Him.” Just as we received the Lord Jesus (i.e. by faith), so we are to walk in Him (Col. 2:6). We are to walk as He walked (1 Jn. 2:6). Faith should be the ongoing, operative principle in the life of every Christian, not just a few.
This call of Christ to those that already knew Him is the same call that is directed toward us: to walk by faith in a way that we have never walked before, even in the face of adversity. In doing so, we prove both the power and the promises of the Lord.
Uplook Magazine, April 2013
Written by Mark Kolchin