Peter, Walking on Water, and What Faith Can Do For Us Today

Matt 14:28-33 "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?  And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.  Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."

To me, this is instructive of the full power of faith.  The scriptures testify multiple times that we can accomplish any righteous desire of our heart by fully exercising faith.  We can ponder and pray for guidance on whether a particular desire is righteous, and therefore qualified for this promise.

Here, Peter desires that the Lord would want him (Peter) to walk to Him (the Lord) and to give him the power to do it.  The Lord without hesitation said "Come".  The promise was fulfilled, through Peter's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he was indeed walking on the water towards the Savior.

The adversity appeared in the form of increased wind, reminding Peter of the physical reality that he was walking on water!  Fear replaced faith, ending the power of faith at that time.

I do not say this to criticize Peter.  I admire that he had the confidence to make the request of the Lord in the first place.  I admire that he didn't hesitate after making the request, but directly began walking. 

I say this to point out what we can learn about faith here.  The Lord really does want to bless us.  He wants to help us.  Every day in every situation.  Yes, in His way, but only because His way is truly the best in the long run.  If we will do what is necessary to build faith and act on it, He will be there to give us the power to do.

I know this is true, and I am so thankful to the Lord for the blessings He gives us through faith.