Peter and the Storm

When Peter and his friends looked up and saw an apparition approaching them through the storm on Lake Gennesaret, their first reaction was fear...fear that they were about to be attacked by some unfriendly force from the spirit world! ...but Jesus was quick to identify himself. Now Peter had a quick mind, and he thought he saw in this unusual situation an opportunity to make himself special - better than his peers, the other disciples - by acquiring superpowers. Great! That would make a him a shoe-in for number 2 in the kingdom!

The disciples had often sought such powers from the Lord because they knew he was the messiah and they had seen him command both natural and supernatural forces in ways nobody else could do. Funny thing, though…he never gave those powers to anyone else – but that didn’t stop them from asking. For example, on one occasion the disciples asked Jesus to “give us faith,” to which he replied (in so many words)...

“…and if I do, what are you going to do with it? Move mountains? Uproot trees?”

No, they wanted those powers so they could rule the earth with an uncontestable authority.

Rule the earth...?

Yes. Peter and the disciples were very ordinary men. They were just fishermen from Galilee, the “gentile part of Israel.” However, these "ordinary men" were also in close association with the future King of Israel! In fact, Jesus had even promised them the day would come when they would rule with him! So what could be more natural? Let's get on with some ruling! And what better way to do that – in their minds – than with super-powers? (See, it’s not a new concept!)

So, knowing Peter's motives, the Lord, seeing an opportunity for a lesson, complied with his request and Peter stepped out and performed a supernatural act...but that's when things got a little shaky. Standing on the water, Peter took a moment to think again ande suddenly realized that, even though he was using a supernatural power, he had no control over it. There was a difference between using a power and owning it…and this was a very bad time to learn this lesson because he was way out at sea in a very bad storm. Looking at the storm and realizing he had no control over the power he was using, Peter sank.

Now here’s a humorous paradox: as he was sinking, Peter called out – not to his friends who had a firm footing in the boat, but to a person who was standing on the water – to save him…which, of course, he did.

The Truth:

Jesus could, by personal faith in his Father, call upon his Father to use supernatural powers to serve his will.
Jesus could, in effect, also confer the ability to use supernatural powers upon others.
However, it has never been God’s will that ordinary men like us should have the ability to call upon or use supernatural powers at will.

Peter’s false perception:

That he could convince the Lord to make an exception in his case.
That if the Lord granted him the use of a supernatural power then Peter would “own” that power to use at will.

The Truth:

At times God still uses his supernatural abilities on our behalf, not in bold displays of power and authority, but subtly, behind the scenes, so we receive the benefit of his involvement without ever knowing the mechanics he used.
We can call upon God for supernatural intervention. We do it all the time, and we should respond to the results with simple gratitude rather than rationalizing them away.
Whereas the disciples thought faith was the power, in truth, faith is the trust we place in the one having and using the power.

Therefore, we should never look at the storm. To look at the storm is to gage the power of God against the power of the storm – and to inevitably see yourself defeated and alone. That is a relative perception.

That’s when truth becomes dangerous! …when you go to the Lord, but then, by looking at the storm where you see only yourself, you count the Lord unworthy, unable, weak.

The Lesson:

Focus on the truth. God is truth. It can be difficult to focus on the truth because truth makes demands on your character...and we want crutches, not character. However, in relationship with God, character counts!

Trust God...never look at the storm!