Matthew 14:25-31

And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”^[1]

Living in the realm of faith calls for having confidence in the unknown. Living by faith calls us to go against our nature that demands proofs. It goes against our nature that is hesitant to take risks, to be marked, labeled or to be controversial. Faith demands taking action that often goes against the prevailing winds of societal change. It demands often marching to the beat of a drummer in conflict with the beat to which everyone else is marching. To live in the realm of faith demands faithfulness to a Lord and Savior that calls us to lifestyles always counter to the culture.

We are living right now in times that challenge our faith and faithfulness. Much of the church has chosen to follow along with the direction the world moves. Rather than leading out prophetically in righteousness, the church has more often then not chosen to either remain silent, or to go along in order to get along. Not wishing to rock the boat with truth, they simply make room for every belief rendering truth relative. The great cry of our day is follow your own truth, and the result is that that which is patently false suddenly becomes true and acceptable. We can understand the world relativizing truth, but challenging these views with many so-called sisters and brothers is often met with the response that there is plenty of room in the boat for all of us. But someone has to be bold enough to step out of the boat.

There were twelve disciples in the boat but only Peter asks to come to Jesus. It is a bold move on Peter’s part, but considering the ferocity of the storm and the uncertainty of their security, Peter may very well have surmised that he would rather be on the water with Jesus than in the boat with his brothers. That is the way I feel about where we find ourselves today. I would rather be on the water with Jesus, than in the boat with those who make truth relative. Our faith demands no less. Today, what will You choose to do? Will you remain in the boat or step out on the water with Jesus?

Gracious Lord, we are often tempted to go along with the crowd in order to get along. We hold on to our peace when we should speak out! We wink at relativism and are prone to compromise and accommodation. Forgive our lack of faith when, like Peter, we take our eyes off of You. Help us to maintain our focus on You instead of the ferocity of the storms of life we encounter. Help us also to confidently hold on to our confession in the face of obstacles and opposition from those who do not share our faith. Make us bold like Peter as we step out of the boat onto the water with You. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 14:25–31.