Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

— Matthew 14:31

Have you ever walked on water? I have, but only in the dead of winter, when the ice on a pond has been thick enough to hold my weight. Even then, I’ve always felt uneasy, especially if I hear an ominous cracking sound.

Miraculously, Peter did walk on water. But when he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.

After reaching out and catching Peter, Jesus seems to scold him, saying, “You of little faith. . . . Why did you doubt?” But is Jesus really scolding here? After all, Peter had enough faith to begin walking out on the water—and none of the other disciples even got out of the boat. In this story Peter’s walking on and then sinking into the water captures the highs and lows of his faith in Jesus.

In some ways, we who follow Jesus have had similar experiences, haven’t we? In our daily walk with the Lord, we all have moments of faith and moments of doubt. Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and noticed with horror the howling wind and the rolling waves. We too begin to sink when we focus on the dangers of life’s storms.

When Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, however, the wind and waves died down. Only Jesus, the Son of God and Lord over creation, can do such amazing things.

Keep your eyes on Jesus. He will never let you sink.

When life’s storms overwhelm us, Lord, help us to keep our eyes on you, trusting that we are secure in your hands. Amen.