You Don’t Have to Step Out of the Boat to Trust Him

We’ve heard the story of Peter walking on water and thought, “Man, I wish I had faith like that.”

Peter sees Jesus on the waves, steps out of the boat, and for a few moments, he does the impossible. But then he sees the wind, feels the spray, and starts sinking. And Jesus says, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:22-33)

We usually think Jesus meant Peter didn’t have enough faith to keep walking. But what if it’s deeper than that?

Here’s the thing I noticed when reading it the other day:

Jesus was coming to the boat anyway. He was going to stop the storm anyway. Peter didn’t need to prove his faith by taking a few steps on the water. He could have trusted Jesus without ever leaving the boat.

But he didn’t.

I got to wondering, “how many times do I do the same thing?” I think I have to “prove” my trust and take the big leap, do something risky. But maybe Jesus is already on His way to meet me in my storm.

Maybe the real faith isn’t always in what we do, but in what we believe while we stay still. Faith that Jesus is with us even when we’re just holding on for dear life in the boat.

Sometimes, you don’t have to make a grand gesture to earn His help. You don’t have to show off how brave you are. You don’t even have to step out in the waves for Him to rescue you.

You just have to trust that He’s here and He’s not going anywhere.

God can and always will catch us in the storm when we fall. But we also need to know that he walks with us in the valley. He protects us and guides us even when we feel he is not near.