Bruce Collins, Evangelist

Matthew 14:30-32
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

The Bible encourages us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That probably doesn’t mean that we should pray every minute of every day, but it probably means that we shouldn’t give up when we pray about something and we don’t seem to be getting an answer. Some people think God answers prayers that are repeated over and over again. Some people think real praying occurs when we speak in tongues and nobody but God understands what we are saying. But real praying occurs when there is an immediate need and when the prayer is short. If Peter had prayed a long formula-based prayer, he would have drowned before he got to his, “In the name of the Lord, Amen.”

I like to think that this actual historical event is an allegory representing life from the cradle to the grave. The disciples were going from one side of the lake to the other. I like to think of the ship as representing the fellowship that we enjoy in the church. To get into the boat you need faith in the boat. To get into the church, you need faith in the Lord. The fact that it was dark and in the fourth watch makes me think that this represents the darkness of the church age when the Lord is in heaven just before the day is about to dawn or just before the Lord returns. The mountain that the Lord was praying in represents heaven where he is our advocate and great high priest.

The trip across the lake was stormy and that is often the case in this life. After we are saved, we often find ourselves tossed by the waves of a contrary wind. And it often seems like the Lord isn’t there when we need Him. But He was watching and He came to where they were. Peter wanted to test the reality of who this person was by asking for permission to walk on water which he did in response to the Lord’s command to “come”. Peter had more faith than I have. I don’t like to jump off the high board at a swimming pool where I can see bottom and the pool is calm and a lifeguard is present. But Peter walked on water for a little while. Then he got his eye off the Lord and on the storm. That is when he got that sinking feeling and cried out to the Lord, “Lord save me.” Peter was already one who believed in the Lord, but as his disciple he needed to be preserved. The Lord did not fail him.

Do you notice how that the wind ceased when the Lord and Peter got into the boat? When life seems difficult and when everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong, we need to pray the short prayer of Peter and then make sure that we have included the Lord in our circumstances and in our company. His presence gives peace. His power still the storms. The One who died to save us, certainly is not going to forsake us when it seems that we are going to drown in the stormy lake as we journey by faith through this life.

Bruce Collins
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