As I was reading and studying this story, something occurred to me that had never crossed my mind before:
How'd Peter get back to the boat?
It's a simple question, but one that the scriptures don't give us much detail about. Matthew tells us that as Peter began to sink, the Lord reached out and saved him. In the next verse it says that they reached the boat and Christ calms the storm. So I was left to wonder, what happened in between? Peter probably wasn't that close to boat, he had walked for a bit before sinking. And Christ had been a ways off, they hadn't recognized Him until He called out to them. And I think it's pretty safe to assume that Christ didn't just drag Peter by the hand through the water after saving him. So, Peter must have walked. On the water.
This small detail sent my mind spinning in so many different directions, and I loved it. Think about it! Just because Peter had doubted and sunk, didn't mean that he couldn't ever do it again -- he just needed a little bit of help. He needed the reassurance of Christ by his side. It is a comforting thought when applied to each of us. While we all need to remember to focus on Christ, unfortunately, there will come a moment when we start to sink, and we will need His help. And with His help, we can keep on walking, even though by all earthly reasoning we should be drowning.
As I further considered the story as a whole, I found myself relating it to the Plan of Salvation. At the beginning of the passage, Peter and the disciples are in the boat, a relatively safe place when compared to the rest of their surroundings. We too started out in a safe place. We lived with our Heavenly Father, in His presence. When given the option, we wanted to follow the Savior's plan. We knew it would be hard, there would be rain, and wind, and all sorts of stormy weather, but we looked to our Savior and we weren't afraid. So we jumped out of the boat.
Then comes the best part: we walk back together. Though the storm continues, though we may falter and begin to sink again, all we have to do is keep hold of His hand. And we can make it back. We won't be able to do it on our own, the storm is too strong and we are too weak. Our faith, no matter how much we have, will always be lacking. But fortunately for us, Christ is our lifeguard, and "His grace is sufficient" to do what we can't do on our own.
So go on, call out. Ask for His help and He will be there!
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