Faith and Some Spooky Water Experiences

 

                                       

"Jump in. I'll catch you." I can still see my mama standing in the water of the neighborhood pool with arms outstretched. Just learning to swim, the thought of jumping into the pool was, to say the least, terrifying! Extremely fearful of deep water from an early age, this invitation proved no exception to such a fear. Yet there she stood, waiting for me to jump with arms outstretched. For a moment, I briefly considered this invitation. Should I jump or go on strike, sit down on the edge of the pool, cross my arms, nod my head side to side, and say, "No, thank you."? (I typically was a polite child, but I considered noncompliance at this point.) However, I didn't do that at all! Instead, based on what I knew about my mother's trustworthiness, I decided to jump. She kept her word and caught me just as she promised. From that moment, fear was gone, and there were many jumps from the side of the pool into her arms that eventually gave way to jumping in with just her nearby presence as I learned to navigate the water on my own.

What I knew about my mother's reliability to keep her word gave me the courage to jump in and learn to swim. 

The scripture offers another "scary water story" that tested the faith of the disciples, who had been following Jesus all day as he preached to the crowds. As the day drew to a close, Jesus instructed the disciples to go ahead of him to the other side of the lake while he stayed behind for a time to rest and pray, preparing for the next day's teaching. In the middle of the night, the disciples had a rather spooky experience when a man appeared to be walking on the water and coming towards them. Most likely, they were pretty tired by now, did a double take, and rubbed their bleary eyes to attempt to make some sense of what they were seeing. Then, they did something that we all tend to do, something that transcends time. They began to speculate. Seeking an explanation for this, they decided it might be a ghost and instantly became fearful until they heard a familiar voice calling to them. Jesus reminded them to be full of courage and to cast out fear because He who was coming to them was the One who would cast out fear. It was then that one of the disciples, Peter, had that "poolside moment." Looking at the One he knew so well, he had to make a decision: trust or say no, thank you, and row the boat as quickly as possible away from Jesus, discarding Him as if He was an unknown. It was truly a jump-or-don't-jump moment; in Peter's case, it was more of a walk-to-or-don't-walk-to situation. Peter had been walking with Jesus the whole day. Still, now he faced the invitation to trust Jesus, who could indeed walk on water, even though the possibility of such may have seemed unbelievable to this unsure disciple. In true Peter fashion, he left the boat and began to walk to Jesus. As a wind blew across the water, Peter lost his confidence for a second only to be reassured by the firm but gentle hand of Jesus, who kept his head above the waves and led him safely to the boat. 

What Peter knew about the reliability of Jesus through his day-to-day walking with Him gave him the courage to obey Jesus and step out onto the water. 

Developing faith and growing in our walk with Jesus could be a lot like learning to swim. Both require releasing our tendencies to self-preserve and tackle our fears by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. Instead, we must be willing to rest in the fact that we must trust in someone greater than ourselves to lead, guide, and protect us. So, what is that one thing that keeps you standing on the side of the pool? Or makes you unwilling to get out of the boat and place trust in the One greater than yourself? The One who promises to meet you there and handle your fear, whatever that may be? Indeed, it may be different for each of us. Still, regardless, based on what we know about the reliability and character of our Savior, the One willing to lay down His own life for us, we can release it, whatever it is, to Him and hear Him say, 'Jump. I'll catch you,' and we can believe Him.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then, those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Matthew 14: 29-32

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

God is reliable. We can trust Him.