No sooner does Peter recognize Jesus walking on the water than he is begging to join Him there. 

One can almost hear Jesus’ voice in the text. He sounds like the father of a stubborn teenager who insists on working on his own, without Dad’s help. Dad knows he’s going to fail, and he also knows that the boy has to learn that for himself. 

It doesn’t read this way, but this is how I hear it. 

“Lord, if that’s really you, then tell me to come out on the water.”

Jesus sighs. What’s he to do? “Okay, then, come on.”

Peter takes but a few steps. His smile is broad. He even giggles. “I. Am. Walking.  On. Water.”

He looks at Jesus, standing a few yards away with His arms outstretched. “Just a few more steps,” thinks Peter. 

A spray of cold water pelts his face. To his right, he sees a swell as tall as he is. To his left, the boat pitches and yaws. He has lost sight of Jesus.

He sinks like a rock. Arms outstretched and legs kicking, he cries, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus reaches out and pulls Peter out of the water. “Ye of little faith,” Jesus says. Four little words that Peter will never forget. 

As Jesus helps his friend into the boat,  the winds calm. He leans over and whispers to Peter, “Why did you doubt?” 

Peter is shivering. Andrew hands him a towel. He meets Jesus’ eyes, and quickly looks away. “I was scared,” he thinks. 

“I should not have taken my eyes off of you.” That, too, is something that he would never forget. 

Phineas Bresee, one of the founders of the Nazarene Church, used to say something like this. “Nothing to my left. Nothing to my right. Jesus only, straight ahead.”

Fear Not, but keep our eyes on Jesus. 

The Bible is full of metaphors to describe God, but one of the oddest seems to be this one, in the 91st Psalm. 

He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

While the word picture might seem odd or even humorous, it is not. 

The psalmist refers to the the safety that one finds in God’s presence. 

• It is in His presence that we find His care. 
• It is in His presence that He hides us from our enemies. 
• It is in His presence that He shelters us from the storm. 
• It is in His presence that He gives us comfort. 
• It is in His presence that we feel His love. 
• It is in His presence that we find His compassion. 
• It is in His presence that we find warmth. 
• It is in His presence that He speaks to us. 
• It is in His presence that He teaches us. 

Father, may I never leave Your abiding presence. 

He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

-Psalm 91:4-5

Fear Not, for He gives us refuge under His wings. 

In this passage, (Acts 18) Paul has decided not to try to reach the Jews in Corinth because they had violently opposed him. Have you ever been too frightened to speak to others about Christ?

I have never faced true persecution like some of you. No one has ever threatened to put me to death unless I denounce my beliefs. I  have always thought, though, that it might be easier to endure persecution than it to simply talk to friends about Christ. I pray I never find out. For many Christians, “witnessing” to friends and loved ones is especially difficult. 

Yet, Christ commands us to spread the Gospel. “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Did you catch that? First, in Jerusalem. First, we are to be witnesses where we are, at home. At work. At school. Wherever we are, we are to be witnesses. 

I have several times heard the story – true in spirit, if not in fact – of a young man who went to his pastor and told him that he felt God’s call to the mission field.

When the pastor urged him to begin preparations by witnessing to friends and family, the young man lost interest. 

Why is it that so many of us are afraid to stand up and talk about Christ to those we know and love? 

When I asked one of my friends that very question, he answered that he didn’t want to be a hypocrite. 

I reminded him that it is not hypocritical to explain the truth. As Christians, we are not perfect; we still sin. Sometimes, we still have a great deal of sin in our lives. What we are, is forgiven. God will rid us of our sin, in time. He is changing us. He is changing me. 

Don’t be so afraid of persecution that you give up. And don’t be afraid of being a hypocrite. It is not hypocritical to tell people that God has forgiven you and is changing you. We are sinners saved by grace, being transformed into the likeness of Christ. God’s ways, in God’s time. 

Fear Not. Speak Out.