Lord, Save Me

This week in class, we talked about the miracle of Peter walking on water, as recorded in Matthew 14.  We’re familiar with the story: Christ’s disciples are crossing the sea of Galilee, and they’re having a rough time.  The wind is contrary and the ship is tossed with waves.  Christ comes to them, walking on the sea, and assures the frightened disciples that it is He and they need not be afraid.  Peter entreats Christ: “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water” (Matthew 14:28).  He is able to walk on the water until he sees the wind boisterous and begins to sink.  He cries out to the Lord for help, and immediately Jesus reaches out and saves Peter.

Peter’s faith amazes me.  He walked on water!  He had enough faith in the Savior to step out of the boat and walk to Him.  So why did he sink?  How on earth could he doubt while he was walking on water?  I think the answer is in this verse: “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid” (Matthew 14:30).  When he took his eyes off the Savior and saw the fierce wind on the raging sea, he was afraid.

Peter is a fisherman - he is very familiar with the sea.  He’s had enough experience to know, without a doubt, that he is not more powerful than the storm.  In the fight between sea and seaman, the sea will win every time.  What he’s forgotten in this moment is that he doesn’t have to be more powerful than the storm.  It is not Peter’s power that allows him to walk on water, but that of the Savior.

All too often, I find myself doing exactly the same thing.  I worry and stress over problems that I know are too big for me to handle, problems I know I can’t solve on my own.  Of course I know that there is no problem too big for the Lord to handle.  My mistake in these moments is not a lack of faith in the Lord, not thinking that He doesn’t have power over all things He has created.  Instead, I’m misplacing my faith.  I’m relying on myself rather than on my Heavenly Father.  It is when I rely on myself that I am worried, stressed, and fearful.  When I put my trust in my Savior, that storm is calmed.

There is one more thing I love about this account: when Peter begins to sink, he cries out without hesitation, knowing that Christ has the power to save him.  Hearing Peter’s pleas, Christ immediatley stretches forth His hand to lift Peter.  He doesn’t say, “Well, you got yourself into this mess, so you’ll have to get yourself out.”  The Savior does not punish us for lacking faith.  He lifts us, teaches us, and encourages us.  Christ does not admonish Peter to make him feel ashamed for faltering.  He asks, “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) to lift Peter’s vision of who He can become.  And He does exactly the same thing with each of us.  He is never too far to stretch forth His hand and rescue us when we cry out to him in faith.