Matthew 14:30 “Lord save me!” (NAB)
“When he saw the fury of the wind he panicked and began to sink, calling out, “Lord, save me!” (Phillips)
“When he saw the wind he was afraid and began to sink, cried out, “Lord save me!” (NIV)
Heavenly Father,
Peter’s cry for help. He stepped out boldly when Jesus said, “Come”, but now fear is setting in. We always seem to say that he looked down at the water, taking his eyes off Jesus and that is why he sank, but here it says clearly that it was the “fury of the wind” raging around him that caused his fear. It reminds me of his later denial of Christ. There too, he had boldly followed Jesus after this arrest to see what was happening. But again, “the fury of the wind”, in the form of other people swirling around him asking questions, threatening his own safety, made Peter panic and look for help. Only in that instance he can’t cry out to Jesus to “save him” because Jesus appears to be in worse trouble than Peter is! So, he panics and denies the Lord that he loves. His faith in Jesus failed because suddenly his Lord didn’t appear to be in control.
Another time when Peter affirmed his faith in Jesus he said “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Peter had put his total faith and trust in Jesus. He was convinced that there was nowhere else to turn. Jesus’ arrest shook the foundation of his faith. But right now….back on the water….he’s still looking at Jesus. The wind scares him. Circumstances scare him and suddenly Jesus seems “too small” for his problem….but he cries out to the One who has been faithful in the past to help him anyway. He knew nowhere else to turn. “Lord, save me!”
Jesus didn’t laugh, didn’t refuse, but reached out and pulled him up. He challenges Peter to figure out why his faith failed, why he didn’t trust enough. This is a learning time for Peter. I’m sure he thought about it many times later. Each time we cry out anew to Christ to save us, our faith grows. Each time he helps us get past a new crises we grow in his power and strength. He prepares us for the moments when we no longer feel he is in control and doubts slip in. He prepares us to stand on our faith in him, rather than our sight of him. To be ready to believe just as strongly when the trial is greatest. Thank you, Lord for pulling us out of the water when we cry out to you. Amen.
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