Walking on Water

Matthew 14:22-33 tells the familiar story of Yahshua walking on water. I won't recite it all here, but basically as He is walking toward the disciples out of the storm, they are all very frightened because they think He is a ghost. In their minds, only a ghostly being could walk upon water.

When He calls out, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Peter answers Him saying that if it really is Him, He should call out to Peter and Peter would get out of the boat and walk on the water to Him.

Now, Peter is often disparaged in this story, but consider the faith it took for him to get out of the boat. Then, when he starts to sink--for the waves were strong--he called out, "Lord save me!"

Every time I've heard this story, I have heard Peter derided a bit. Yes, he has been given credit for getting out of the boat, but it is often said of him that he "had starting faith but not finishing faith" or that he "began to doubt halfway there that he could even walk on water." Tonight, Yahweh showed me something different.

Because when you start to sink, crying out to Yahshua to save you is the exact right thing to do. There is nothing wrong with, when you're out on the water--walking in your purpose--and the waves start rising--opposition comes against you--you going back to Yahweh and rest in His Presence and have Him remind you that He is Lord and He can save you.

Which is all Yahshua was doing when He reached out and said, "Oh ye of little faith. Why did you doubt?"

Because Peter was not doubting simply that he could walk on water. He was doubting the Christ. Yahshua was saying, "Why did you doubt yourself? Why did you doubt I would save you? Why did you ever think it was even possible for you to sink and drown? Don't you trust me?"

And when He reached out His hand and saved Peter, Peter did have finishing faith because Peter did not drown. Peter got back up and walked back to the boat with Yahshua.

Now look at our lives. I am in the middle of my second week of school with students. Before school started, I was all gung-ho walking in freedom and, "Let's go walk and run and dance and play on the water!"

Then, the waves started getting higher. Some things happened that were not expected and not pleasant, and while sometimes I responded right, I know there are times when I started to sink. There was definitely one night when I had to cry out, "Lord save me!" Does that mean I failed? That I didn't have enough faith? No, because I called out to my Lord, my Christ, and He did save me. He showed me this:

Never believe you are sinking. Never doubt you are walking on a solid surface. It is not the exterior appearance of the surface that you are walking on, whether that be water or cement or rock or sand, but the internal Presence of Holiness that causes the surface to be smooth and steady, certain and solid. This--Holy Spirit--makes your path sure, for did He not promise to direct you paths if you trusted Him with all your heart? (Proverbs 3:5-6) He did not specify out of what material your path would be made. He only said it would be a path and that He would direct you in it.

Also, my awesome friend brought the song "Oceans" by Hillsong United back into my life last night. I hadn't listened to it in a while, but it is an amazing song. The whole thing is about walking on oceans and trusting Yahweh no matter what and I remembered tonight as I was listening to the Spanish version that "Oceans" was the first song I tried to dance to in November 2013.

Because in November 2013, I mysteriously and temporarily lost the ability to walk for a time. I regained that ability slowly and with practice and I have received a lot of revelation from it. One day, the first time I could take a shower by myself again, I was in the bathroom at my parents' house and I was listening to "Oceans" and walking in a circle (because that was all the dancing I could do at the time.) I was worshipping Yahweh and walking. How marvelous is the ability to walk!

But I remembered that tonight and it made me realize this: you cannot walk on the water if you cannot walk at all. The external, the circumstances and the surfaces we are called to walk on, is not the issue. The issue is what--Who--is inside of us. Because the Christ in me is the hope of glory. It is He who taught me to walk again. It is He who gives me the courage to step into what seems impossible and it is He who will keep me safe and sound until I reach the other side, until impossibility becomes commonplace and His glory is complete.

HalleluYah! I can walk on water! My Christ is in me and He will keep me safe wherever I go.