Cold Feet vs. Wet Feet

(the following is from Lance Lambert, June 2006)
There are two stories of storms in Matthew. In one, the Lord stopped the storm from the confines of the boat after the disciples panic and wake Him up. In the second, another storm comes up, and He walks on the water. But through the storm, the disciples observe His figure and think perhaps it is a ghost. Peter, however, thinks it might be the Lord, so he calls out, "Is it You, Jesus?" Jesus says, "Yes." And Peter says, "If it's You, tell me to come." And Jesus says to him, "Come." And the amazing thing is Peter climbed out of the boat and walked on the water. Now he'd never been to Bible school or read a book on the four steps to walking on water. But He saw the Lord, heard the Lord, obeyed the Lord, and he did the impossible.

If we are to be ready for the coming of the Lord, what is the most important experience we need to have? It is not the stopping of the storm (although that reveals the majesty of the Lord Jesus, the power of the Lord Jesus, and the soverign authority of the Lord Jesus). Wonderful it is, but it doesn't help us if we lose the boat and find ourselves in stormy seas. There are days of evil and times of darkness when the Lord doesn't step in. Then what? It is a tremendous lesson the Lord taught Peter; he did the impossible. He walked on a stormy sea. I say that's the greatest lesson anyone can learn to be ready for the coming of the Lord--when the boat is gone and the storm is rolling around, walk on water with the Lord.