Matthew 14:28 “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.”
When the Lord told His “disciples” to “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid”, it is clear that “Peter” knew that He was capable of such a magnificent thing; that is, walking on the water in the midst of a raging storm. Then, “Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water”; that is, “if it” is really You and not some visualized “spirit” (Matthew 14:26). When we are in great distress and gripped with fear, our hearts are pounding as we frantically cast about looking for some hope of deliverance. It was just such a time when the Lord appeared to His “disciples”, “walking on the sea”. Peter must have observed that, with the Lord, there was great peace and calm, even as the storm raged about them; and he impulsively yearned for that blessed peace and calm in the immediate presence of his Savior. The Lord’s authoritative, yet tender response, was “Come”, so “Peter” came “down out of the ship” and “he walked on the water, to go to Jesus”! This account should fortify us with both courage and strength to face the storms of our lives, always knowing that our Almighty, Good Shepherd, Savior is near by and that in His presence we find a loving peace and calm and deliverance, even as the horrible storm rages on!
[See the St. Andrew Primitive Baptist Church website for articles and audio and video recordings at: https://standrewprimitivebaptist.com]