Learning To Walk

Most of us can’t recall our first steps, but learning to walk is one thing every parent desires for their child.

According to my parents, my first time walking was actually a run across the kitchen floor from one parent to the other. (I think that foreshadowed my way of doing life. Go fast or don’t go!) But for most folks, we start our journey of learning to walk with a few tentative steps. Gradually we gain confidence and soon walk without thinking.

Just as this is true in the physical world, it’s true in the spiritual realm of faith.

Walking On Water

In Matthew 14, we read the story of Jesus walking on water toward His disciples. He told them to go to the other side of the Sea after a busy and miraculous day. The disciples got into their boat and headed across the water. But a storm arose, and, by the fourth watch of the night, they were stuck in the middle of the Sea, struggling to move forward, finding it impossible to follow the command of the Lord.

Once Jesus sent His disciples away, He went up on a mountain to pray. (Do you ever wonder why He told the disciples to do something He knew they would find impossible, and then went to spend time with the Father?)

In the middle of the disciples’ storm, Jesus joined them. Unable to accomplish the simple task of going from point A to point B, with darkness all around and waves thrashing about them, a vision of someone on the water appeared. In a most unorthodox way, the Lord of the universe, came to be with them. He walked on the water.

The darkness and chaos that surrounded the disciples didn’t stop the Lord from showing up in their time of need. Instead, Jesus used the crashing waves as the floor upon which He walked to be with those He loved.

Fear Or Faith?

In their time of need, the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus. They only saw a vision of someone walking on the water and assumed the worst. Fear kept them from recognizing the One Who had just made five loaves of bread and two fish multiply to feed a crowd of thousands.

In our time of crisis, our own storm, do we recognize Jesus coming to us as One able to walk on top of the waves that threaten to overwhelm us? Are we paralyzed by fear or do we have faith to trust the One with all authority and power to be stronger than our storm?

Faith To Walk

Matthew 14 continues. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.'”

When Peter heard Jesus, he cried out to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And Jesus said, “Come.”

We know the story. Peter got out of the boat, began to walk, looked at the stormy waves, and began to sink.

Sadly Peter gets a bad rap for failing to keep walking. Scripture reports that Jesus reached out to save Peter when he cried out. Then Jesus seemed to scold Him as He said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

But Peter is the only man other than Jesus we have ever heard walked on water. Yes, he fell. But that’s part of learning to walk. When a toddler takes a few steps and falls, we help him up and tell him he’s fine. Learning to walk takes practice.

Maybe Jesus wasn’t being as harsh as the words sound to our ears. Perhaps Jesus was telling Peter, “You almost had it.” Perhaps His words were meant to encourage Peter to trust Jesus so the next time Peter tried to do something he didn’t think possible, his faith would help him walk.

Walking By Faith

Walking with our Lord on a daily basis is a walk of faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” But how do we learn to walk by faith?

It takes a child many tries at standing, taking a few steps, falling and getting back up, before he or she learns to walk by sight. And so it takes an individual effort and time to learn to walk by faith.

We all understand the need to work out to get stronger physically. In the same way, we have to exercise our faith until it’s natural for us to look to Jesus first, listen for His voice, and step out to do what He tells us to do.

Over time, tiny exercises of faith build into a daily recognition of our Lord’s presence. Learning to walk by faith happens as naturally as learning to walk on this earth. By doing it.

Each of us can be a Peter. We just need to ask the Lord to tell us to come to Him, and then go. Let’s get out of the boat. Walk on the water. And learning from Peter’s story, let’s refuse to look at the waves.

But if we do start to fall, we can cry out to Jesus. He’ll pick us up and set us back on our feet. Each step of faith gives us strength for the next one. As we practice, we’ll find we’re learning to walk by faith and not by sight.

May each of us find every day to be a new adventure with our Lord. He’s the One who walks on water, calls us to come, picks us up when we fall, and shows us a life with Him we never could have expected.

Jesus is eager to help us. He loves us. Let’s trust Him and step out of the boat. After all, He knows we’re learning to walk by faith, with Him.

(Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen, Tribble Mill Park, Georgia, and the Sea of Galilee, Israel. Scripture: NKJV)