Walking on Waves

Photo by Jack B on Unsplash

"Oceans" 

By Hillsong UNITED 

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace

And keep my eyes above that waves

“‘He will immediately reach out his hand and grab you and pull you out of the water.’Notice that when Peter looked down, and took his eyes off of Jesus that is when he began to sink. We have to keep looking straight, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. When we keep our eyes on Jesus we don’t sink!” I finished lowering my arms, that had been pointing across the room for effect.

Suddenly, I realized I was sitting in front of two and three-year-olds and I remembered where I was. I smiled because God had just used my words. I was so passionate about keeping my eyes on Jesus over the waves that even the squirmiest boy was still. God used my words with power as a Sunday school teacher.

I love the story of Peter walking on the water. I taught it twice in the 3’s class, and as I was journaling through Matthew, I used half a page to capture my thoughts of this story. This story moves me because it is such a clear picture of what fixing your eyes on Jesus means. I want to have the full Bible Passage here and then I will go through and break it down.

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,”he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 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. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”” — Matthew 14:25-33

A lot of people label this story with having to do with Peter’s doubt. Yes, he did doubt, but he did a more marvelous thing. He did not allow fear to control him, and he walked towards Jesus. 

How many of us would have been willing to get out of the only thing keeping you afloat and step on to something that could not hold you? My guess is not many. In fact, only one disciple was willing to step out of the boat.

As Peter started walking I picture him as a child taking his first steps. Arms out for balance, feet moving very slowly. Walking on waves with rain getting in his eyes and wind trying to knock him over could not have been easy. Yet he walked to Jesus. I imagine Jesus standing and smiling, hand held out ready for Peter to grasp. Peter laughing at his own balance and going closer to Jesus.

We are all like Peter. Jesus is calling us to join him in the waves. He waits with his arms open ready to laugh with us when we get there. The song "Oceans" by Hillsong, talks over and over about stepping onto the waves. Even when oceans rise, we are safe knowing Jesus is right there. I believe that is what made Peter step out of that boat. He knew, deep down in his heart, that Jesus would catch him if he fell.

As we know, Peter’s gaze was turned away by something small, maybe a thunder clap or a movement of the boat, and he sunk into the waves. As he sunk he cried out:

“Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” — Matthew 14:31

Immediately, instantaneously, without hesitation, Jesus caught him.

After this is the dialogue about Peter’s doubt, but I think he started sinking before his mind started racing with the impossibility of what he was doing. He looked away from Jesus. When he did that he started sinking.

Now we know the story and we know that we are called into the waves. I want to equip you with a statement and a question.

Don’t lose sight of Jesus in the waves

“But as soon as something rough hit me, I lost sight of the most important person standing in front of me, and instead I tried to think about how I could control the situation. As soon as I did that, I began to drown. I was thrashing about until Jesus took hold of me and settled me down, helping me see the purpose of what he was doing.”— Riley Unlikely by Riley Banks-Snyder, Page 149

This is a descriptive picture of what sinking looks like. Walking on the waves is not guaranteed to be safe. In “Oceans”, there is a lyric that talks about our feet failing and waters rising. But even through this, we will keep [our] eyes above the waves. Even when we feel like we are drowning, even when we can’t step forward, we keep our eyes on Jesus. His arms are open, he is ready to hug us and laugh with us for making it

Even when trouble hits, don't lose sight of who is important. Read the Bible, talk to him over the waves, and sing songs of declaration. “Oceans” is a great one to remind you why you walk on the waves, what the purpose of this wobbly walk is. The closer to Jesus you get, the easier it will be to keep your eyes on him. You have got this, he is right there ready to hold you if you falter. 

How do you step out of the boat?

The first step is critical. Peter could have pulled his foot back and walked to the middle of the boat. But he showed in trust by stepping on the waves. Jesus told him to come, and he came. What is Jesus calling you to step out of? Most of the time this is just our comfort zone. We hope we can float alone and be good. Jesus is calling us out of comfort zones. In Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, there are two whole chapters on stepping out of our comfort zones. This quote explains so well why we don’t step out of the boat.

“We’ve noticed that the fence [or waves] that keep us from breaking out of our comfort zone is nearly always built by fear—fear of weakness, discomfort, failure, humiliation. We’ve noticed something else too: you can’t live by fear and live by faith at the same time.” — Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, Page 69

We have a choice and a lot of times we chose to stay in our comfort zones. But what would happen if we stepped out? One thing I know for sure is that when we step out, we will get closer to Jesus. That is what we all want, right? So stepping out will be the best thing you can do.

Like Peter, I hope you will step onto the waves Jesus is standing on. You can walk on the water, going closer to Jesus, breaking out comfort zones, and knowing He will catch you if you gaze away. Will you step on to the waves and walk towards Jesus even in the wind and rain?