Probably my favorite scripture passage is Mt 14:22-33 where Peter, for a time, is able to walk on water. This story is a fascinating combination of faith and experience. Peter is able to walk on the water, but then he starts to sink and Jesus has to rescue him. Jesus’ question “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” seems unfair as an accusation. Why did he doubt? Because walking on water is impossible.

But I do not think it was an accusation but rather a teaching question. Why did Peter doubt? “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink…” It was when he focused on the wind. Think about what wind does to water and how that might impact your ability to walk on the sea. I imagine that it would make it a lot harder. And then notice what happens. “When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” Imagine the faith boost if the moment Peter stepped out of the boat the wind ceased. That would have made it so much easier for him to believe and trust. But that was not how it happened. Jesus could have made it easier for Peter to have the faith to walk on water, but he does not calm the wind until after Peter has failed.

For me, believing that Christ is real and present and loving and all powerful is like Peter trying to walk on the water. The wind is the many circumstances in our lives that can cause us to doubt, to be afraid that Christ is not with us, not loving, not powerful, just not real after all. When we focus our attention on those circumstances, they are telling us that our faith is not real, that Christ cannot be any of those things if these circumstances are happening to us. Just like the wind was telling Peter that he was not able to walk on water.

When we decide to have faith in Jesus, to become His disciples, do we expect Him to still the wind when we take our first steps? Because this story would tell us that this is a wrong expectation. He certainly can take away those circumstances, and He will one day, but we are called to walk in faith while they are still operating, just like Peter.

In this meditation on the passage, sinking is losing faith, losing a sense that God is with us in Christ, that we are in His love while we are facing threatening circumstances. In this story, maintaining a strong faith does not change the circumstances but it allows us to walk through them very differently than when we start to doubt.

What was happening between Jesus and Peter that determined whether Peter was walking or sinking? Clearly Peter cannot do this unless Jesus enables him to. Did Jesus supply a power that was dependent on Peter’s faith? Or did Jesus withdraw the power when he saw that Peter was beginning to doubt? I don’t know. What is clear is that Peter’s faith did play a role. And maybe my main point in this post is that our faith plays a role in how real God is in our lives.

When I ask the question, “How real is God supposed to be?” I am usually thinking in terms of God making Himself real in circumstances, “showing up” in all the ways that we love to hear testimonies about, that make it easy for us to believe. And I want Him to do more of that. But I think there is another side to this, a side where God says, “I will be as real as you make me.” Just like Peter’s faith had something to do with his ability to walk on the water, our faith has something to do with how real God is in our lives. And this, of course, applies to our work lives. How would this thinking change the way you seek for God to be more real for you in your work life?

I would love to connect with you about these posts if they have stirred any thoughts or questions. Take a minute, shoot me an email at bo@leavenedlives.org, and let’s see where that takes us.