When You Want to Walk on Water

I was giving my daughter a bath when she started to do something strange with her foot.

“What are you doing, hon?”

“I’m trying to walk on water, Mom, like Jesus did.”

She told me her teacher had told her a story about when she was a little girl and how she tried to walk on water in the bathtub and never could. Only Jesus could do that. (Well, Peter did, too.)

I asked her, “Why do you want to walk on water?”

She answered, “Because Jesus did and I want to, too.”

Isn’t that the way we should think — to want to do the same things Jesus did, to follow His examples in the mundane and the miracles?

My daughter teaches me so much about what I like to call the Jesus-led adventure. A posture of letting Him lead in every area of our lives, following hard after Him so we can be like Him, and dwelling with Him in the promised land He has for each of us.

I love that she thinks if Jesus walked on water, we can, too.

Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage, I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come.” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
Matthew 14:27-29 (NLT)

Peter asked to join Jesus on the water in the middle of the miracle that defined Him as the Son of God. When was the last time we asked to join Jesus in the miracles He’s doing?

I forget there were a lot of other disciples in the back of the boat desperately trying to stay in the boat. The other eleven never asked Jesus to call them out of the boat to walk on the water with Him. But Peter’s faith increased the faith of all the ones shaking in the back of the boat. Their response after Jesus calms the storm is to worship Jesus, exclaiming, “You really are the Son of God!”

We want our lives to point to Jesus, to worship Him in such a way that shows others how to worship, too. If we start asking Jesus to join Him in the miracles He’s already doing, perhaps others will worship Him and say, “Jesus really is the Son of God!”

What are you seeing Jesus do around you but aren’t brave enough to join Him in? By brave enough, I mean to join Him on the water, to be with Him, to dwell with Him where miracles happen. It’s not about being brave enough by yourself to get out of the boat or about focusing on what happens when you have a moment of panic like Peter did when the waves got huge. It’s about asking Jesus to join Him in His work, where it’s you and Him and all the power of God at work.

My daughter wants to walk on water with Jesus. And I do, too.

For me, asking to join Jesus in His work looks like reading His Word bright and early and writing every day so I can teach the younger generation what He’s teaching me. Since Jesus calls me to join Him in His passion for the next generation so they can know and love Him, miracles will happen.

Getting out of the boat for me looks like stepping through the door Jesus opened for me to record a podcast. I have to rely solely on Jesus to supply the wisdom and words. I need His faith working through me to keep walking on the waves.

Walking on water can also look like the everyday moments that only Jesus could do through me, like loving my daughter patiently, folding laundry, not arguing with my husband, taking care of the land He gave us, cooking dinner (again), and keeping His words in my mind and coming out of my mouth as I interact with others.

I don’t know what it looks like for you to ask Jesus to join Him in His miracles. It may look like what the world would call success or serving in the mundane or probably a little of both. Ask the Lord what He wants you to do, which others might think looks like walking on water but what will simply be you joining Jesus in His work.