Many people are familiar with the name “Edsel.” The car was created by Henry Ford and named after his son, Edsel. Unfortunately for Edsel, the man, “Edsel,” the car, was a flop and the name became synonymous with failure. Poor Edsel. Poor Henry. We can easily overlook the many successes Ford had in auto-making because sometimes we have a tendency to focus on the negative and not the positive.
The story of Peter walking on the water is a familiar one and is frequently trotted out as an example of failure. Who comes to the disciples during the storm? How did the disciples react? What did Peter ask for? What did Peter do in verse 29? What did Peter do in verse 30?
This passage was used on Laity Sunday to illustrate our speaker’s message about giving more effort in our spiritual life. The key verses here are 28 and 29. Peter prompted Jesus to call to him, thus assuring Peter that he would have the authority to do what Jesus was doing.
And what happens in verse 29? Peter walks on the water. We so often overlook that. We focus on the failure of Peter. He couldn’t stay on top of the waves. He lost faith. He should have kept his focus on Jesus.
But the fact is, even though he eventually began to sink, Peter DID walk on the water. He even suggested it. The other disciples didn’t even try. They were too afraid to leave the boat.
It is unfortunate that Peter is remembered for his lack of faith, his sinking, because he is the only human (since Jesus was human and divine) to have walked on water. We remember the failure but we forget the success.
And this is what keeps many people from trying something hard or new. What if I fail? Peter failed, but he succeeded first. He may have sunk, but he walked on water first, and no one can take that away.
When it comes to strengthening our faith by trying new challenges we can either be like the eleven who hid in the boat, or we can dare like Peter. We may sink, but we won’t know until we try. And if we sink, well, at least we did something.
Peter wanted to walk on the water. He asked Jesus to summon him. We need to ask Jesus to summon us to something new, something that will deepen our faith. Is Jesus calling you to read more of the Bible? Is Jesus calling you to try teaching Sunday school or a Bible class? Is Jesus calling you to volunteer more time at church or increase your financial giving?
DAILY CHALLENGE: Call to Jesus and ask what your walk on the water is supposed to look like.
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