Why do we do what we want to do, why is it that our thoughts drift toward the formation of an idea, formulate the plan for its inception, and then proceed with the endeavor until it’s completion. Why is it that, I would hope, the majority of human being’s have goals and then set the plans in motion to achieve these goals. What is the purpose behind our desires to fulfill all the small segments that, when they are assembled, make up the whole of a persons life.
I have thought of this subject off and on for many years, and to a degree we are not just speaking of the purpose of our lives, but the intentions of it along the path to its conclusion, the end of our lives here on earth. We are the sum only of what we allow ourselves to be.
Each of us that are saved by grace relate in a personal way to someone in the Scriptures, a person that we see something of ourselves in, an individual in the Word of God that, at whatever point we find ourselves in at a particular moment of time in our life, we feel a kindred spirit with, as it were. For me, at this present time, that person is Peter, both in his first introduction to us in the Bible, and the person that he became towards the end of his life. I am, always have been, and to a degree I suppose I will always be brash, outspoken, overly confident and very good at putting my foot in my mouth. Like Peter was when we first meet him, there’s a job to do, and if you want to eat today you had best get up and get to it, (Luke 5:6) if there’s something that needs to be fixed, you fix it, and if someone says something you don’t quite agree with, well, you let him know that. (Matt. 16:22) And like Peter, of which many of you I am sure also associate with, when something that you have given few years of your life to begins to fall apart, you just go back to what you know. (John 21:3)
There is one particular point in Peters life that I would like to address today, if you will, and it is found in Matthew 14:22-34, specifically verse 28, where Peter says to our Lord, “bid me come unto thee on the water.” As we stated earlier, there are many points in a man’s life that discern who he is, each one adding upon the previous whether it be positive or negative, at least in our own eyes, for in reality all things work together for good. (Rom. 8:28) So the subject here isn’t how awe inspiring it must have been to have walked on water, or even why Jesus had decided to walk on the water to come out and meet them, but why did Peter want to walk on the top of the sea.
After those in the boat realized that it was not a spirit walking towards them, which is an entirely different letter in itself, but that it was the Lord Himself coming towards them, why not just be joyous, invite Him into the boat, marvel over His command over all of creation, and then continue heading towards the other shore. Why was this impetuous man, this one who was so like many of us today, interested in walking on top of the lake, and for that matter, when the others in the boat saw that Peter was walking on water, why didn’t they say “Me too, call me too, Lord” If you remember later in Peters life he did not wait for the Lord to bid him to come to Him, he simply jumped into the water and started to swim to where our Lord was as fast as he could. (John 21:7) Which brings up an interesting conjecture, do you suppose when he jumped into the water that time, was he was expecting to run to Christ on top of it, for anyone who has walked on water might be a little hesitant to attempt to dive into any body of water ever again, you could really hurt yourself.
“Tell me it’s okay to come out and meet you, let me walk on the water also.” A smile had to come to our Saviors face when He heard these words, He really loved Peter, loved his forwardness, his desire to push through any obstacle, his impetuousness that didn’t always come out quite right, but the fortitude within him was admirable. Did he want to be like Christ in all ways, was he in so big of a hurry to be with Him that he did not want to wait for Him to reach the boat, or maybe he just thought that it would be so incredible to be able to walk on water. The theories are endless, the ideas for his reasoning in this account has gone on for centuries, but only Peter, and of course the Lord Himself, knew then and know now the reason. Of course, he stepped out of that boat in faith, that much is simple, as is the reason that he began to sink, but what was that was in his mind that said, “I want to walk on water.” Perhaps the real topic is not what Peter thought at that moment, but this, that he asked. This impetuous, ‘run right into it,’ speak without thinking first individual actually asked the Lord first before acting on something, wanted to be encouraged and convicted first before he acted.
So then, my friends, as each of these letters to you are meant to do, to encourage and convict, are you asking before acting? Are you rushing into what you think the Lord is asking you to do before actually making sure that what you are doing is in His will, are you planning on building a tower before making sure that you have the funds to complete the project, (Luke 14:28) are you positive you have the manpower to go to war, (Luke 14:31) are you sure you have sought His will before you go to a different place to try to make some money, (James 4:13) are you seeking the Kingdom of God first.(Matt 6:33)
We have been promised that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, (Phil. 4:13) so, if He wants you to walk on water, walking on water is what you will do, but I believe I can guarantee you what would have happened to Peter if he had not said “Bid me come unto thee,” to our Lord first, his friends in the boat with him would have been doing some fishing for men, at least one named Peter. What our Lord wants you to do for His glory, He will enable you to do, and what He has enabled you to do you can rest assured with all confidence that you will be able to do what He wants you to do, but the first step always has to be our asking of Him to bid us to come unto Him, an obedient servant can and should do no less.
Ask Him then today to draw you to Himself, so that you can serve Him in the confidence that what you are doing is what He wants you to do, and in the complete faith that He will enable you to do the task that He has set before you. My friends, the just shall live by faith, and if you ask the Lord Jesus to bid you to come unto Him, you can rest assured that in faith you will be doing His will.
