Back in 2001, pastor and author John Ortberg wrote a best selling book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. The book is based on Matthew 14:22-33 where Jesus intentionally puts his disciples into a boat knowing that he is sending them into rough waters. Jesus goes off to pray and at about 4 a.m., far out at sea, while the winds and the waves are buffeting the boat, Jesus comes to the disciples walking on the water. At first, they are scared spitless, and who wouldn’t be, seeing this phantom form coming ever closer in the darkness across the heaving waves? But Jesus calls out to them, “Courage, it’s me, don’t be afraid! (v. 27 MSG)”

Can you imagine their relief?

Now, here’s a little known fact. The disciples had been in this position before. One year earlier, immediately after Jesus preached his famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus and the disciples climbed into a boat to cross the sea of Galilee and encountered a storm (Matthew 8). You remember the story… waves are crashing into the boat and Jesus is asleep in the stern. The disciples wake him up, “Jesus, we’re about to die over here! We’re going down!” Jesus gets up, rebukes the winds and the waves and leaves the disciples speechless. I like the old King James Version for this one. The disciples wonder, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”

So, the disciples already knew that Jesus had the ability to control the weather… no doubt, he had come to do it again. They were safe! The storm was all but over; all they had to do was sit tight and watch Jesus do his thing.

But crazy Peter has other ideas. What was he thinking? Just stay in the boat, dude. Jesus will be here in a minute. The boat is safe, comfortable and secure and you’re exhausted from rowing. Just chill, for crying out loud… sit still. But it wasn’t enough. Peter wanted to be with Jesus. And he wanted to be with Jesus MORE than he wanted the comfort and security of the boat. So, at Jesus’ bidding, before Jesus calmed the storm, Peter got out of the boat and walked across the angry, churning water to get to Jesus.

Lord knows, I enjoy my comfort and security probably more than most. For the last 18 years I’ve benefited from a steady paycheck, health insurance and a secure ministry and so has my family. It’s been a pretty nice in the boat and we have no desire to leave it. But sometimes storms arise, and we discover that Jesus is not in the boat; he has moved out into the open water. So, that is where we are headed- out into open water with Jesus.

As Peter soon discovered, the singular danger out on the open water is to allow circumstances and situations distract you from keeping our eyes on Jesus. So, that is our goal- to keep our eyes on the one who can calm the storm and walks with us through all of life’s trials.