PETER TAKES A WALK (2 OF 6)
by Tony Nester
Scripture: MATTHEW 14:23-33
This content is part of a series.
Peter Takes A Walk (2 of 6)
Series: Touched by Jesus
Tony R. Nester
Matthew 14:23-33
When Peter stepped out of that boat he was a desperate man.
The disciples had struggled in their boat all night against a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus wasn't with them. He had sent them off in their boat while he went up on a mountain to pray. Matthew reports that the storm lasted until early morning. That's a free translation of some Greek words that mean ''the fourth watch of the night'' which was 3:00 AM TO 6:00 AM. By then Peter and the other disciples were wet, exhausted, and wondering if they were going to survive the night. They had nothing left to give.
If you've ever been in desperate circumstances then this story is for you. Get your mind's eye on those disciples in their boat being tossed to and fro by the waves. See the water come splashing up against them and filling the boat. Watch them as the wind blows them off course and threatens their lives. Hear the sound of the wind and rain beating against them and muffling their cries to one another to hang on. It is a scene of desperate and despairing men.
This is a ''fourth watch'' story. It's about a storm that doesn't seem to end. It's about people who've reached exhaustion. It's about you and me when we've come to the end of our strength. So it was for Peter when he stepped out of that boat. He was a desperate man.
But Peter was also a man with faith. Desperate, yes. But with some faith, nevertheless. When Jesus declares himself to the disciples - ''Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid'' - Peter is the one who reacts with faith. ''Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.''
In desperate moments we sometimes discover that we still have some faith left in us - perhaps more than we thought we had. We may say that we're exhausted, spent, defeated, finished. But the Lord has a way of calling forth some faith from us just as he did with Peter during that night time storm ...
Series: Touched by Jesus
Tony R. Nester
Matthew 14:23-33
When Peter stepped out of that boat he was a desperate man.
The disciples had struggled in their boat all night against a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus wasn't with them. He had sent them off in their boat while he went up on a mountain to pray. Matthew reports that the storm lasted until early morning. That's a free translation of some Greek words that mean ''the fourth watch of the night'' which was 3:00 AM TO 6:00 AM. By then Peter and the other disciples were wet, exhausted, and wondering if they were going to survive the night. They had nothing left to give.
If you've ever been in desperate circumstances then this story is for you. Get your mind's eye on those disciples in their boat being tossed to and fro by the waves. See the water come splashing up against them and filling the boat. Watch them as the wind blows them off course and threatens their lives. Hear the sound of the wind and rain beating against them and muffling their cries to one another to hang on. It is a scene of desperate and despairing men.
This is a ''fourth watch'' story. It's about a storm that doesn't seem to end. It's about people who've reached exhaustion. It's about you and me when we've come to the end of our strength. So it was for Peter when he stepped out of that boat. He was a desperate man.
But Peter was also a man with faith. Desperate, yes. But with some faith, nevertheless. When Jesus declares himself to the disciples - ''Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid'' - Peter is the one who reacts with faith. ''Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.''
In desperate moments we sometimes discover that we still have some faith left in us - perhaps more than we thought we had. We may say that we're exhausted, spent, defeated, finished. But the Lord has a way of calling forth some faith from us just as he did with Peter during that night time storm ...
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