Click Here - Matthew 14:22-36.
This is one of my favorite passages in Matthew. From the very beginning of the passage, I have a strong suspicion that Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. First, He sent the disciples across the sea. Then He dismissed the crowd and finally took that time he was looking for to pray on the mountain. While Jesus was having a quiet time of prayer, the disciples were struggling to get across the sea. A strong wind was against them and I’m sure they were a little worried. But Jesus came to them in the midst of their struggles and difficulty.
In Matthew’s gospel Peter is an interesting character. Often he is the spokesperson for the rest of the disciples – very seldom do other disciples speak. Yet a few times in the gospel, he singles himself out, showing himself as better than the others, and when he does it never ends well. I love the irony of verse 30, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid.” Did you get that? It wasn’t that he suddenly realized what he was doing, it says he SAW the wind! He was distracted by something unseen that prevented him from doing something visible. In the midst of Peter’s sinking, Jesus came to him and saved him.
In the midst of our struggles, when we seem to be of little faith, while we are making more of things than they really are, Jesus comes to us, reaches out, and saves us. Our only response can be the response of the disciples, “Truly you are the Son of God!”