Take Heart
By David Free, Deacon
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27)
The disciples were on a ship in a stormy sea and very worried about their situation, when suddenly, Jesus appeared to them, walking on the water and saying, “Don’t worry, I’m here.” Peter then asked to join Him on the water and the Lord answered him, “Sure, if your faith is strong, walk on the water with Me.”
Peter climbed down the side of the ship and began walking on the water toward Jesus. But the storm captured his attention and suddenly he began to sink. Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and saved Peter, placing him back on the ship as the wind ceased.
This story always fascinates me because I had a similar experience.
Years ago, when I lived in California, I did a lot of sailboat racing. On one particular race around Catalina Island, my crew and I found ourselves barreling down the backside of the island, in very rough seas, at 3:00 AM, in total darkness, with spinnaker (the large balloon-looking sail that fills with air and pushes the vessel downwind) flying. At one point I noticed that the mainsail was about to jibe, swing from one side to the other, so I jumped to the foredeck and was attempting to correct the problem, when suddenly the sail did indeed swing from one side to the other, the boom carrying me with it.
As I was sliding into the water, I reached up and was able to catch myself by my fingertips, grabbing the lifeline. The crew was then able to wrestle me back aboard. Good thing I was wearing wet weather gear and boots! Otherwise I would have gone straight to the bottom.
Was Jesus there? You bet. I couldn’t see Him in the black darkness, but He was there for sure!
And just like in Peter’s story, the wind stopped, the sea calmed, and we were left in the doldrums for a number of hours. Now that’s the end of my story, but not of Peters’.
When Peter began to sink into the sea, Jesus admonished him, saying, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)
Then Peter was saved from a watery dunk as Jesus placed him back on the boat, where he joined his fellow disciples in declaring, “You are really God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:33)
As dawn broke over the lake, Peter’s heart must have soared. He had repudiated doubt and fear by once again placing his trust in the Lord. Unfortunately for Peter, his faith and trust never became permanent because sometime later, he denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted. The moral of Peter’s story: Keep our faith strong, our trust steady, and don’t give in to distractions.
A final note to my sailing story, we did win that race only because everyone else in the race had given up while sitting in the doldrums and had started their engines and motored home. Was it because of our persistence, our dumb luck, or because we had Jesus aboard – you call it!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, it’s so easy to be distracted and lose faith in You when times are difficult, so please help me to keep my eyes on You no matter what the situation I find myself in. I choose to take heart and not be afraid because I know You’re always with me. Amen.
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