Have you ever done that? Stepped out in faith? Took on something bigger than you ever dared to before? I am sure that many of you have done something like that and that there are some of you who are still contemplating it.
Perhaps those who have can get together with those who have not and compare notes. Talk about what you did to overcome your fears.
As a matter of fact, I know that some of you have read a book called ‘If you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat’ Perhaps you can get together with others and share what you have learned from reading that book.
The fact is that stepping out in faith and venturing out into the unknown is easier said than done. For many of us such an undertaking, as this text seems to suggest, would be like seeing a ghost, or dealing with what seems to be an impossibility, because the landmarks we have grown accustomed to may have changed, may no longer be the same as it use to be.
So, our natural reaction would be to feel as if we are out of our league. Sometimes these reactions are typical when we start a new job, or move into a new environment, start a new relationship or take on something that we have never done before.
Matthew’s gospel tells us that the first disciples of Jesus faced the same obstacles. That Peter being one of those dare devil types, not easily deterred but always ready to take on a new challenge. But as these new adventures go, something went wrong and he suddenly realized what he had gotten himself in deeper than he should have and obviously started to panic.
But notice what he did when he saw that he was going down he called for help. Unfortunately it wasn’t May Day, May Day. It was Lord, help me. I’m in over my head. He had no choice. He had lost his grip. That firm, solid ground that he had been used to had suddenly shifted, and the world around him had caved and now he was scrounging around trying to find a new sense of balance and equilibrium. Have you ever been there?
Has the odds of life ever been loaded against you? If it has this story could just as well be your story or my story. Because there are those times in our lives when we like Peter felt cut off, alone, afraid to face whatever it is we had to face. Perhaps there is something in your life right now that is a challenge, a threat an obstacle.
Do what Peter did called for help because he realized that he couldn’t do it alone he needed a helping hand and he needed it now. You see that in essence is what the word salvation means is all about calling out and getting the salve, the ointment and anointment that we need. It is not just about looking forward to some pie in the sky when I die it is also about getting some ham where I am and some steak at the lake.
Many of us are afraid to call on others for help because we have been taught and trained to be independent, to take care of ourselves to be rugged individualist. That is a good pioneering, American spirit to have, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it as long as we also acknowledge and remember that we are not isolated entities we are also part of a continent, part of a community, part of the main, part of a network, and that we have essentially been part of this wider networking community long before we were born pr became aware of our individuality. Calling others for help is a okay.
Therefore one of the essential ingredients for stepping out in faith is to focus our attention not only on ourselves and our own limited abilities but also on the power of the one or the many who gives us the power and the ability to think bigger and act bigger than what we are accustomed to.
For some of us it may be the memory of a parent or a grand parent a trusted friend, a support group, our faith and trust in God. Whatever it is that helps us overcome the fears and phobias that holds us back in life. That according to Matthew is essentially what Jesus did for those first disciples; he assured them and reassured them of his presence. Take heart, he said it is I don’t be afraid. Later when push came to shove he did more than talk says Matthew he offered a helping and saved Peter from going down.
Its all about warm hearts and helping hands isn’t it? Where in your life or ion the life of your family and friends does someone need a helping right now? It’s all related to nurture and nourishment. Our fears and doubts are not fed by physical food. It is fed by spiritual food.
Someone once said that we do not get ulcers from what we eat but from what eats us. So, take the step, venture out into the deep, put you faith more than your fear to the test. Let’s step out in faith, let’s put out trust in God, and let’s give someone a helping hand who knows what might happen. Perhaps it may just be what we need to discover that new and unexplored dream that we’ve always had, or become inspired to do something new and exciting and greater than you’ve ever done before. Its amazing what we can do if someone gives you a helping hand.
So, go ahead make the call, take that step its your call and
it may just be what you need to turn your life or somebody else’s around.