Then Peter called to him, `Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on the water.’
‘All right, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus.
What Are You Waiting For?
by Lindsey Hanekom
This story starts with the disciples on a boat in the middle of the lake, battling a ferocious night storm. Jesus wasn’t with them but He sees their distress and starts to walk towards them on the water. The disciples, thinking He was a ghost, scream in terror until they hear the comforting words of Jesus, ‘I am here! Don’t be afraid.’
Peter’s response was one of both doubt and faith. Doubt that it really was Jesus and faith that if it was him then He could make the impossible, possible. Peter was the one who raised the challenge, ‘Jesus, you tell me to come against all odds, against all rationale, against all that I know and understand to be true.’ Jesus simply responded, ‘Come.’
So Peter went. He went without hesitation, without thinking it through, without having a meeting with the other disciples to gain support, without praying about it, without question, without waiting for a better time. He went when he couldn’t see (it was dark). He went when the waves were high and ferocious. He went without the support of other people. Peter heard the voice of Jesus and responded immediately.
Some of us may be in that boat, having heard the voice of our Saviour commanding us to move. Yet our human mind prevents us from actually stepping out as we peer out into the darkness, seeing only high waves and an impossible task. Yet, beyond that is our Saviour, ready and waiting for us to move and He will be there if we lose faith and fall. Let’s not hesitate. Let’s move beyond our rational thinking and trust in the voice that simply commands us to ‘come’.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to have faith to move when You call me to move. Help me to look beyond the darkness and impossibility and see possibility in You and You alone. I choose to trust that You are there and will always be there, even if I fail. Amen.
Lindsey Hanekom Lindsey has worked at all of our UK centres over the years and has settled at Ellel Scotland with her husband, Johann and their two young children, Kyle and Zoe. As part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Scotland, Lindsey has a heart for the deeply broken as she oversees the prayer ministry and is an established and passionate teacher with Ellel. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys the natural world, particularly the ocean, and is trained as a specialist medic to assist stranded and injured marine mammals.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
