Christ Walks on Water

~ Christ Walks on Water ~

         

   This is just one of the many miracles Christ performs in his life and maybe one of the most astonishing. I know, I know, “he healed sick people,” you say, “made the blind see.” As amazing as that is, I’ve seen that miracle happen with prayer, doctors, and the power of God before. Maybe not quite so instant or always, as it was with Christ, but miracles do happen through his power today. But have you ever seen anyone walk on water? Have you ever really thought about what a feat this is? Unless it’s frozen solid, not one of us, other than Christ (and Peter but we'll talk about that in a minute), has ever been able to accomplish it.

Matthew 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea.

            In this passage Christ’s apostles are in a storm, on a ship somewhere in the sea. At first, seeing him walking on water, the apostles are afraid, they think it’s a spirit, but of course Jesus calms them and says, “Be not afraid.” (Matthew 14:27)

            The apostle Peter, and some of the others, seem to be guarded when it comes to Jesus I’ve noticed. Not of Christ himself, but I think that maybe they are afraid of being tricked, by perhaps, the devil. Peter asks Christ to prove himself by saying, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”( Matthew 14:28)

            Christ I’m sure smiled to himself, and told Peter to come to him. Peter, taking a leap of faith (literally), walked out on to the water. But that faith wavered and he started to fear that he would sink. Questioning what was happening, he did sink, and cried out, “Lord, save me!” (14:30)

            Christ, with immediate response took him by the hand, holding him up and said, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”(14:31) in other words, “why did you doubt me?”

            With this miracle performed the apostles worship him by saying, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”

It reads in Doctrine and Covenants 88:67 and if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

            How can this scriptures apply to the story of Peter? We know that while he was in full faith, believing in Christ and his power he was able to walk on water, he was filled with Christ’s light, his power. He was able to comprehend walking on water. But doubt is what made him fail, it's what makes us all fail.

            We may not be able to walk on water but with faith in Christ we can achieve many great things. When you are filled with the light of Christ darkness won’t exist within us. Light destroys darkness, if you want an analogy, step outside in a sunny, summer day, its not dark. Christ’s glory is compared to the brightness of the sun, only better!  There are always the shadows, hiding, waiting to come out, but with the power of Christ we can chase those shadows away. If you believe it is possible it will be. The mind is powerful; it can make or break us. Decide who you want to be and don’t let anything bring you down.

            When my grandparents joined the church many years ago and it came out that smoking was bad for your health (people didn’t really know that back then, it’s just what everyone did) they had to quit. If you’ve ever talked to someone about how hard this is, they say it’s almost impossible, right. People try for years and sometimes the addiction wins. But my grandpa, Papa, we called him, was strong-minded, strong-willed, and physically, he was a mountain of a man. He quit, in one day, never picked up a cigarette again. He just decided he wasn’t going to do it ever again and he didn’t. That’s the power of the mind. I know that within us we can all have this magnitude of will-power; sometimes it just takes a little faith, and prayer. Be strong.