Step Out of the Boat

Posted by Karah

PAUSE

When Jesus calls you to come, do you immediately think of your fears and doubts? Pray that you would have the courage and faith to respond in obedience when He calls.

“’Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter answered Him, ‘command me to come to You on the water.’ ‘Come!’ He said. And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. —Matthew 14:28-29

Read Matthew 14:22-33 in your Bible and consider these questions.

• List the two commands Jesus gave in verses 27 and 29.

• Why do you think it’s important that Jesus told the disciples to have courage? Explain.

• What did Peter do that caused him to sink? Explain.

Peter is often criticized for taking his eyes off Jesus, but notice that Peter did step out of the boat. Jesus’ power and Peter’s faith allowed him to do something that seemed impossible.

• Examine Jesus’ statement in verse 31. How does He indicate the outcome could have been different if Peter would have kept faith?

RESPOND

• Is Jesus calling you to step out in faith? Draw a simple boat in your journal and label it with the area of comfort or safety that applies to you (popularity, laziness, self-centeredness, unbelief). What is holding you back from meeting Jesus where He called you?

• For further study on confident faith in Jesus, read Joel Ortberg’s book If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat (Zondervan, 2014).

BEHIND THE STORY

The phrase “around three in the morning” (v. 25), is translated to “during the fourth watch of the night.”¹ The Romans divided the night into four watches and the fourth hour fell between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. Matthew’s use of the word ghost emphasizes the fact that the disciples didn’t know exactly what they were seeing—it was late, probably dark, and they were far enough away from
the shore that they couldn’t tell who was standing there.

THE POINT

The life of a Christ follower should be characterized by confident faith in Jesus.

 

¹Holman Christian Standard Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010). Acessed via mystudybible.com.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest Alumni and Friends, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Reprinted from EC magazine. @ 2016 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, Weekly Devotions