‘Life is suffering’ – Jordan Peterson said it; Buddha had said it long before that. Jesus said we will have ‘tribulations’ in this world, but reassured us that He is stronger than all of that and what life might throw at us (John 16:33).
Jesus used an interesting illustration to describe life’s difficulties: having a house built in such a way that it would stand strong and be stable despite the winds and the rain beating against it. We need stability in life; we need wisdom for life. The antidote to the storms of life is ‘building a house on a rock,’ which is living according to the Word of Christ (Matthew 7:24–25).
The Boats!
We looked at the first incident when Jesus was in a boat and showed the fishermen something about Himself (Luke 5:1–11). We concluded that we can trust Him and His word, even if experience sometimes seems contrary to what He tells us. He knows. We trust Him and lean not only on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
There were two other powerful incidents in a boat when Jesus showed something about Himself and His divinity. The first is when He calmed a storm (Matthew 8:23–27), something only God can do (Psalm 89:9; cf., Jonah 1:4–16). The second is when Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:22–33), something human beings cannot do. Well, the incident shows that Jesus did bypass the laws of physics, and that Peter, too, walked on water—for a short while, at least, before he started drowning. Jesus his ‘Lifeguard’ walked on water and rescued him.
Handling the Storms of Life
The story illustrates the power of Christ’s divinity and that of faith in Him, yet also how having a wrong focus on the storms of life can make us drown. What about you? Are you drowning in life’s storms through worry and a focus on the problems, or are you ‘walking on water’ by trusting Christ and focusing on Him? Let’s look at Peter’s experiences in the two storms.
The first was on a boat in a storm. They followed Jesus onto the boat and then ‘a great tempest arose,’ yet Jesus ‘was asleep’ (Matthew 8:23–24). Perhaps sometimes we feel like ‘God is asleep’ when we face our storms; we feel alone and abandoned in life’s struggles. The disciples cried out for Jesus to save them, for it seemed that they were ‘perishing!’ (v 25) Keep in mind that at least four of His disciples were fishermen and used to storms on the open waters. So for them to be scared with the fear of death hanging over them means that the storm must have been serious.
Jesus’ response was intriguing: ‘Why are you fearful, O you on little faith?’ (v 26) Not the question we find comforting, right? They were afraid for their lives for good reason, and Jesus was asleep, yet now their lack of faith was the issue?! But then the following happened: Jesus ’arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm’ (NKJV) or the sea became ‘perfectly calm’ (NASB). No wonder, ‘the men were amazed, and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”’ They knew very well that only God can calm the storms of the sea.
O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the swelling of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them. Psalm 89:8–9
God alone has the power over the forces of nature. Jesus showed His divinity by calming the sea. This was to show His power. Who was like Him? What kind of man was He? Jesus demonstrated the divine powers attributed to God, for He was God incarnate. We must not worry in life’s storms, but trust Him and His power, when when we feel we are perishing. We can be reassured that although it might seem God is sleeping, He is not and He wants us to have faith in Him. He does not sleep or slumber, but watches over us (see Psalm 121). He keeps those who trust Him in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). He gives peace that even surpasses our understanding (Philippians 4:6–7). You can trust God in your heart, even if your mind or emotions seem unsettled. He has a solution, even if you don’t know it. His peace will guard you from making wrong decisions based on fear. Trust Him. He won’t let you down—or drown.
Peter’s second experience was similarly powerful, but he went a step further—literally. Jesus instructed His disciples to cross to the other side ahead of Him. This time He wasn’t sleeping in the boat, but praying on the mountain (Matthew 14:22–23). The disciples in the boat were ‘battered by the waves’ (v 24). Don’t we often feel ‘battered’ by life’s storms and troubles? But Jesus then ‘came to them’—He doesn’t forsake us. Yet He didn’t come with another boat; He was actually ‘walking on the sea’! What were they to make of that? It must have been powerful when He calmed the storm from the boat, something only God can do, but to walk on water—that’s unheard of! Their reaction: ‘they were terrified,’ and ‘cried out in fear,’ and said, ‘it is a ghost!’ (v 26). No, it was Jesus coming to their rescue. Yes, the ‘Lifeguard’ walks on water.
While they were in fear, Jesus reassured them: ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid’ (v 27). Jesus removes their fear by showing them who He is. Jesus inspired courage in them while they were captive to fear. Courage is the antidote to fear; and faith in Christ gives us that courage. But before Jesus calmed the storm, Peter asked to walk on water too (v 28). A brave move—and it worked! Jesus said, ‘come!’ and ‘Peter … walked on the water and came toward Jesus’ (v 29). For that moment his faith in and focus on Christ made Him walk on water (v 29). But moments later, fear gripped him and he began to drown. His focus was on the wind, no longer on Christ. So he cried out to Jesus to save Him—and He did: ‘Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him’ (v 30). And again, like in the first storm experience, Jesus raised the issue of faith: ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ (v 31). When we shift our focus on the problem, faith is replaced by doubt, courage by fear, and we drown. Stay focused on the Lifeguard walking on water in the midst of the storm. When Jesus got Peter into the boat, the storm ceased (v 32). We must ‘ride out the storm’, as they say. And we can trust Jesus to bring us to safety and calm the storm.
The Power of God
These powerful experiences showed them Who Jesus was (God incarnate) and what faith can do (the Impossible). We have no record that they made a practice of walking on water and that they never used a boat again. They did go fishing after the crucifixion using a boat (John 21:3). The incident was a descriptive one-off event to demonstrate Christ’s divinity and the power of faith. In life’s storms we can be successful and victorious despite what is against us. We simply trust Him and believe. The second experience made people to confess, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’ (v 33) This incident is descriptive, not prescriptive; it teaches us about the power of God by faith in Him. On the other side, Jesus healed multitudes of sick people—yet another demonstration of God’s power, a power the disciples made practice of using. We need real power to meet real needs. God’s supernatural power is available.
We can trust Him to calm the storms and make us ‘walk on water’ when things are difficult. We shall not drown; but if we are, we cry out to our ‘Lifeguard’ who walks on water and who stretches out His hand to save us! Don’t be afraid, only believe. Your ‘Lifeguard’ walks on water and by faith you, too, can ‘walk on water’ in the storms of life. He will come to you and bring perfect calm and peace. Trust Him.
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