My husband, Mitch, used to lead an “experiential” Bible study for young men. Think “Fight Club” (the movie) meets Jesus, and you get the gist.
As the study reached Matthew 14 and the account of Jesus calling Peter to walk on water, Mitch sensed the young men needed an opportunity to “walk in Peter’s shoes.” They needed an opportunity to step out.
Lashed together with bungee cords, inflated red rubber balls, and an old trampoline tarp, we fashioned a craft that floated just under the water’s surface. The W.O.W. (Walk on Water) craft was born.
Each young man at Bible study that night got to choose if they were up for the challenge of walking on water. They didn’t know there was a W.O.W. craft waiting in the middle of the pond. They just trusted Mitch.
I can only imagine what was going on in their minds as they left shore. It was only when they were right upon the W.O.W craft that they could see Mitch had prepared a way. Panic-stricken, some pulled back as they stepped out. At about ankle deep, those who persisted found their footing.
Imagine what it was like to stand on “nothing” in the middle of a body of water. Imagine the eyes of the young men on shore as they watched their friends step out and stand! I can tell you there was a lot of cheering and celebration to be heard even for those who opted to not step out.
Sure, Peter didn’t need a W.O.W. craft to defy physics, but he is still our role model. He had faith and he had doubts. He walked and he sank. And Jesus caught him.
How do you hear the tone in Jesus’ voice in verse 31 as he asks, “Peter, why did you doubt?” Does it sound angry? Full of condemnation? Does some sense of shame for your own doubt rise to the surface?
The truth is, Jesus never used shame anywhere in his ministry. As we look at this passage, we know Jesus wasn’t trying to shame Peter here, either.
Can you imagine Jesus, with tremendous compassion, looking at Peter in the chaotic storm and asking, friend to friend: “Why did you doubt?”
Peter wanted to trust. We want to trust, too. So, we row out to the center of the lake in expectation that we will have faith. Then we get scared. We look around. Maybe we don’t step out. In self-protection or fear, we experience doubt or shame. We may forget that Immanuel, the God who is with us, is the one who invited us out of the boat in the first place.
If you are carrying shame, fear, or doubt, please take a moment and ask God to help you with what may be hindering you. It can be as simple as: “Lord, I am afraid of ________. Please forgive me and show me your truth.”
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that your love and forgiveness destroy fear, doubt, and shame. I need that today. I don’t want any hindrances or barriers between you and me. Please forgive me for any areas where I choose fear over trusting you. I give those fears or doubts to you. As I give them to you, Lord, I receive and stand on your peace. Help me to step out and trust you even more today. Amen.