Peter’s impulsive but utterly honest response to Jesus’
appearance in the storm is so consistent with all we
know of him. “Let me walk on the water like you have done,
and come to you” (ap). His initial response is enthusiastically
full of trust. His eyes are on nothing but Jesus. Then Peter
notices the reality of situation that rages around him, and
his heart is seized with the cold hand of fear. Instead of
looking toward the one who has come to rescue, Peter is
overwhelmed with the thought of what might be happening
to him. Boldness and trust disappear as fear and doubt rise
up within him. Only Jesus’ strong hand keeps him from the
water’s chaos and death.
You and I have been on this lake many times. If we have
not yet been, life will inevitably take us there. Sometimes
it is only in the midst of extremity in our lives that we can
understand God’s care for us. But those times—
the death
of a loved one, the suffering of a child, the moral pain of
witnessing injustice and oppression going unchecked, the
endless string of our own broken promises—are very strong
and very real. We, like Peter, take our eyes off God’s offer of
salvation, and we sink like stones.
God wants nothing more for us than to release us from
our self-preoccupations and to free us from the enemies
within. The One who was present at the creation of wind
and wave and who knows our fears and doubts remains
ruler over the sea and bringer of grace. So when we allow
God to come to us and permit ourselves to move toward
God, the winds are calmed and we know him for who he
is—God-with-us.

By Don E. Saliers from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016