But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
- Matthew 14:30-32 NIV
The disciples were amazed to see Jesus walk on the water and come near them to save them from the storm. Though they were all surrounded by a tough situation, Peter took a step of faith and started walking on the water. But as he perceived the situation around him, he started sinking.
Being a fisherman, Peter could have managed to save himself. He could have either swam back to the boat or would have asked for help from the other disciples on the boat. But Peter decided to call upon the Lord.
Peter had previously experienced in his life that his own attempts had never helped him to solve problems, rather a command from the Lord had changed situations. His first experience was, when Jesus asked him throw the nets into the deep (Luke 5:1-11) and his next experience was when he and the disciples awoke Jesus in boat which was about to sink in the storm (Luke 8:22-25).
This time Peter did not wait to depend on his own strength or on others help but rather called upon the Lord for help. In the midst of trouble, Jesus pointed out Peter’s lack in faith, but eventually helped him.
Peter was the bold one among the disciples to take a step of faith and walk on water, but then his lack in faith caused him to sink. This lack in faith was pointed out by Jesus in front of others which could have discouraged Peter and made him feel separated from the other disciples. But John 6:68 shows that even after being corrected by Jesus in the storm, Peter still displayed a stronger faith than others the next day.
Because Peter learned not depend on anything else other than the Lord, Peter could stay strong in his faith and be more close to the Lord. Peter was, at times, corrected by the Lord for his faith, but Peter’s acceptance of his mistake increased his trust in Jesus.
Situations may seem to be sinking, but it is better to call upon Jesus than to depend on alternatives.
