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I want to encourage you to step out of the boat at the invitation of Jesus like Peter did, to do the good works he has for you to do. Could it be that you’ve been stuck in your boat and missing the joy of walking on the water with Jesus because of some fear or maybe laziness or just not wanting to rock your boat? If that’s where you are, it’s keeping you from knowing the incredible joy and fulfillment that comes when you simply obey Jesus and by trusting him, you do what God wants us to do.
You see, as a Christ-follower, you were created to do certain good works, as we read in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
That is your mission in life, as established by God, and it is only when you are doing those good works that you are living in the completeness of who you are in Christ Jesus. Maybe you haven’t stepped out of the boat because you haven’t truly asked God to show you what good works he has for you to do. That’s a good place to start—just pray for guidance, and if you’re sincere about doing it, God will put a desire in your heart to do a good work.
Maybe you haven’t stepped out of the boat because you simply haven’t made time in your life to do those good works. Could it be that your life is so full of what you want to do, that you just can’t fit God’s calling into your schedule? I think of a person I knew who filled her life with lots of activity—fun things as well as career pursuits—so that there just was no time to put anything else in her life. She had just made her boat so comfortable that she didn’t want to leave it. But she missed the blessing of walking on water with Jesus.
Maybe you stepped out of the boat once and then you started to sink, like Peter did, and so you just jumped back in the boat and now you’re afraid you’ll sink again. But failure is often part of our growing process, and God gives us lots of second chances. I don’t think I could count the number of times God has had to rescue me and give me another opportunity to walk on the water with him. That’s the kind of Lord we serve, and he’s waiting to take your hand and show you the incomparable fulfillment that comes when you walk by faith and not by sight.
I just want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus and follow his invitation to step out of the boat. I know it’s scary, but you don’t want to miss the indescribable joy of walking on the water with Jesus, doing what you could never do alone, and hearing him say “Well done.”