The Difficulty of Coming

Matthew 14:29

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

You would think Jesus would make coming to Him easy for those who obey, but the decision to obey is often the easiest part of obeying Jesus’ command to come. One would think that when you come to Jesus that He would make the way smooth and without hardships, but once you take the step to come to Jesus, you will find many obstacles you must overcome as you go to Him.

The disciples were in the boat going to the other side, at Jesus’ command. As they were rowing to the other side, they encountered a storm, a storm so great they thought they would sink. As they rowed hard, they saw what they thought was a spirit walking on the water. They cried out in fear, but as they cried, Jesus answered them in the storm. However, Peter was not quite sure that it was the voice of Jesus, so he replied to the voice, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. The next word Peter heard was, Come. To Peter’s credit, he obeyed the command of the Saviour to come, and the miracle of Peter walking on the water to Jesus was experienced. We find several things that made it difficult to obey the Lord’s command to come.

First, he had to leave the “safety” of the boat. You may think you are safest by following common sense, but the Scriptures teach us that safety is of the LORD. The safest place for the believer will always be in obeying the Lord’s command, even if His command makes no sense. You will never find God’s will to be what most would call safe; safety will only be found in following God’s will.

Second, he had to leave the doubting crowd. It is always easier to run with the doubting crowd, but those who see God do miraculous through their lives often run alone. You will never run with the crowd and see God work through your life because the crowd often does not live by faith. You will never see God work mightily through your life until you leave the safety zone and the doubting crowd.

Third, he had to face the storm. The command to come was not an easy command to follow because he was in the middle of a storm. You will find storms when you obey Christ, but always remember that Christ is greater than any storm you face. If Jesus can walk on the water in the storm, then Jesus’ command to come will be the safest act to obey.

Fourth, he had to have faith in the power of Christ. Peter knew it would take God’s power to step out of the boat, but he had faith that Christ had the power to keep him safe if he obeyed Christ’s command. Faith is always scary, but safety will always be found in living by faith. God never leaves the believer who lives by faith because the action of faith is to trust Him alone, and He will fulfill His promise to direct your paths if you will trust Him.

Fifth, he had to keep his eyes on Jesus. Keeping your eyes on Jesus is the key to staying safe at the command to come. When fears come because of the storms you face, keep your eyes on Jesus. Never take your eyes off Jesus because of overconfidence in your abilities. Staying focused on Christ alone is what keeps you safe in the storms and allows you to know God’s power working through your life to do the miraculous. Despite the noise of the storms and the billowing of waves, keep your eyes on Jesus, and you will have the walking on water experience God has for your life.