...for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

“But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid,' And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.'

So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord save me.'

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat come and worshiped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:24-33)

One commentary notes, “Only Matthew reports Peter's walking on the sea and his subsequent sinking illustrates the weakness of faith that is diminished by doubt (14:31). Faith must remain focused upon Jesus and not have its attention divided by harsh circumstances.” [1]

In the midst of being tossed and turned by harsh circumstances, Peter is not found gripping the side of the boat while perhaps throwing up over the side, begging Jesus to make the storm stop. (This is where I picture myself in the story.)    Rather, He looks directly at Jesus, so tossed and turned he can't see Him fully but knowing His voice he says, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.'”

Command me to come to You on the storm tossed water... Wouldn't exactly be my first thought, or even second one for that matter.

Words of Brennan Manning come to my heart, “Love supports you.”[2]  Other similar words that come to my heart were spoken by one of my pastors the first weekend in November in a sermon at Open Door, “You are utterly safe in the kingdom of God.”

In the midst of our greatest storms, Love meets us. He comes to us with the words, “Be of good cheer! It is I, do not be afraid.”

In that storm tossed moment we have the choice to trust Him, look to Him and let Him invite us out into His goodness. Even if we only take a few steps out of the boat and then we sink down in confusion, fear, and the immensity of our harsh circumstances, God will still meet us. He will grab hold of us and pull us out of our despairing, bringing us back into the safety of His arms. And we will have done something that we thought utterly impossible... walk on water in the midst of a storm.

When the storm is not tossing us to and fro, it is easy to intellectualize our faith our to an extent. We sing songs of praise and enjoy times of thankfulness while proclaiming that we know God's goodness. We say that we know that God is with us and for us.... but do we really?

Do we know it so well that we are willing to step out into the unknown? Into places that look frightening? Are we willing to let Him call us out on the waters?

If we can't step out in times when the water is still, (speaking to myself here as I very much struggle with this), how can we expect to step out and experience Him in the moments of the storm? Do we even desire to risk our place of safety to know Jesus in deeper ways?

Peter knew God in a way that most never have the opportunity to experience because they are unwilling to step out. Peter knew God as the one who would 'immediately' reach out to Him when He was drowning.

“I want to be found faithful, I want to be found steady, I want be found faithful until the end” sings.

Brennan Manning writes, “We have all experienced the sadness of a Christian life that is secure, well regulated, but basically impoverished. We long, at least occasionally, for a generosity that would lift us above ourselves.” [3]

Living an impoverished Christian life on the borders of our own safety and security is a choice we can make. But we also can choose to follow His invitation to, “Come, follow Me!”

If we say yes, like His disciples, we may find ourselves out on a little boat in the midst of the ocean being tossed by the storm. But we also may find a place in God of safety and knowing Him like we have never experienced before. We may even find ourselves walking out onto the waters of places we never imagined we could go.

When we step out in faith, we find God will meet us. Brennan Manning speaks of what He calls this 'baptism of fire' that “is available to anyone who steadfastly seeks to move beyond theoretical abstractions to living experience, intensely real.” [4]

“I want to stand in Your fire wherever Your eyes fall, may You find me faithful to Your heart” sings.

Brennan goes on to write, “But enveloped in the lived truth of God's furious love, insecurity is swallowed up in the solidity of agape, and anguish and fear give way to hope and desire.” [5]

The truth is that we are loved beyond measure and utterly safe. He has a place for each of us at the center of His heart. It is out of this place, and not our circumstances that our safety is found. And just like Peter who quickly stumbled as he stepped out, we are loved deeply in our imperfections. We may not be perfect, but we are deeply loved and totally safe in His arms.

“Unconditional love that knows no end” sings in the background.

Psalm 91: 3-4 proclaims,

“He Himself will deliver you from the hunters net, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.”

Lord, forgive me where I am so timid on stepping out on the waters even when there is no storm. I do want to know you better.  Help me to do this.  And while I don't pray for the storm, I do ask that when they come you would help us to see and hear you more clearly.  Draw us out of the boat to come to You on the waters. Let us know Your love in deeper ways. 

1. The Chronological Study Bible.  Thomas Nelson, Nashville TN.  1982.

2-5.  Manning, Brennan.  the furious longing of God.  David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO.  2009.