“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” – Matthew 14:31
When Jesus invites you to do something beyond your ability, He never abandons you to it. He doesn’t leave to take a break or spend time with someone else. He’s always right there as you accept His invitation and follow His commands into the extraordinary. When Jesus commanded Peter to walk to Him on the water (at Peter’s request, to be clear), He first gave Peter the ability to do what He commanded. Peter was empowered to walk on top of the water by Jesus. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he successfully did the impossible, walking toward Jesus on the water.
When Peter lost his focus and began to focus on the impossibility of what he was actually doing, he began to sink and cried for help. Guess what? Jesus was right there. He “immediately” reached out and told hold of Peter. Jesus hadn’t walked away and told Peter, “Good luck with the water walking”. Jesus was immediately at hand, ready to act the moment attention wandered and faith faltered. When Jesus calls His people to a hard task, He never leaves us alone as we do it.
The larger story of the storm that night makes clear that while Jesus often doesn’t calm the storms of life, He will calm us. We don’t need to be afraid of storms because He’s there. Likewise, when He calls us to the extraordinary amidst those storms, we don’t need to fear, because He’s right there. Jesus is present, empowering, supportive, and always ready to grab hold when we start sinking. Don’t be afraid to walk on water if that’s what Jesus tells you to do – He’s right there! #FollowJesus