It's Not a How-To, But a Who-To by Karen Pulley
Did Jesus say to Peter before he could come out of the boat and walk on water, “You need to quote three verses, witness to three people, serve at church three weeks straight, or do good deeds three days in a row?” No! What was Peter's solid ground? Jesus: His calling to come and His Word. Jesus's words are solid ground; all other ground is sinking sand.
Are our eyes on Jesus or on the waves? The answer will make all the difference between walking or sinking. No wonder we so often sink under the circumstances of our lives: we are looking at them and not looking into the eyes of Jesus. I love that it was a Who that called Peter out on the water and not a What do I have to do. It was a Who not a work.
This is an excerpt from an old book of sermons called The Keswick Week:
You are longing for a blessing. You have come here conscious of much in your life that is displeasing to God. Much weakness, double-mindedness, much uncleanness, much cowardice and lukewarmness, much self, much dissatisfaction, and unrest. You wonder what is wrong? ‘What is it that I need?’ Dear friend, just change the question. Not ‘What is it?’ but ‘Who, are You, Lord?’ Not what do I have to do. Yes, fall on your knees and put the question as Saul did, and wait ‘til the Master so reveals Himself to you that all fear and doubt vanish, and you are able to say from the heart, ‘You, oh Christ, are all I want. More than all in Thee I find.’
No difficulty will daunt you - no service will be too tedious, no sacrifice too great for Him. Then, like Peter, on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus came to him walking on the water, you will say, ‘Lord, if it is You, bid me to come on the water.’ If it is Christ, that is the question. Everything follows when that is clear!
Rather than a mere phantom savior, the creation of one's own inner consciousness, it would be better to cling to the old boat, the life of self-effort, however painful and disappointing. But if a real living Christ, a strong Savior is standing there on the waters, it is most reasonable and wise to leave the boat and go to Him.
Sisters, that real, living Christ is always at hand. There He stands, victor over sin and satan, vanquisher of death, your High Priest, abundantly able to save, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, able to comfort them that are tempted, exalted of God's right hand to baptize His people with the Holy Ghost. Cry out to Him. Think not of blessings but of Christ. Don't seek special experiences but deal with Christ, for in Christ you have everything. Whatever the surrender Christ calls for, whatever the sacrifice He demands, it is always just a stepping out to go to Him. A venture no doubt, a venture unreasonable to one who knows not Christ but most reasonable to the one who knows it is the Lord! Come, then, dear friend, away with your fears, your hopelessness, your unbelief.
Are you in a tempest? Troubled through suffering, affliction, or bereavement? Christ says to you, ‘I am He that lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore and have the keys of hell and death. I am the Resurrection and the Life;’ ‘ Said I not to you, if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’
Look up to Him and say, ‘Lord, if You bid me to come on the water, I will step out and trust.’
–F.S. Webster
We Would See Jesus,
Karen Pulley
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