If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat

We are all familiar with the story of the Apostle Peter trying to walk on the water, as found in Matthew Chapter 14. Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the five thousands from five loaves and two fishes. He had then sent the disciples ahead of him while he dismissed the people and went into the mountains to pray. Per Jesus's instructions, the apostles took a small ship and began sailing across the Sea of Galilee.

A storm arose during the night, and the apostles ship began to thrash about among the waves and the wind. Jesus, who had been watching them from the hillside, saw their peril and went out to them, "walking on the sea".

When the disciples saw the dark figure of a man walking on the water towards them, "they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear."

Jesus heard their fearful cry and answered them with comfort. "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

Then Peter did a remarkable thing. He said to Jesus, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water."

Now, I would have been perfectly satisfied to have sat in the boat and waited for Jesus to come and get in. But Peter had a different idea. As a dedicated disciple, he wanted to do everything that he saw his master do. If Jesus could walk on the water, then Peter wanted to do it, too. He did not, however, want to presume that he could walk on water simply because he wanted to. He wanted Jesus to command him to come out of the boat. He knew that if Christ could do it, and if Christ commanded him to do it, he could do it, too.

At Peter's request, Jesus issued the command, "Come." Peter dutifully climbed over the side of the boat and set his feet on the churning waters. To his great satisfaction, the water beneath his feet felt as solid as ground, and he began to walk towards Jesus.

As the account continues, we read that Peter got distracted by the waves and the wind, and he began to doubt his ability to remain on top of the water. Because he doubted, he began to sink. What he forgot in his moment of fear was that it was not his personal power that was holding him up. It was Christ's power. Jesus was still standing steady despite the waves. Had he kept his eye on Jesus and focused on his Master's steadiness, Peter could have continued.

When he began to sink, Jesus reached out and caught Peter by the hand and lifted him up again. The touch of the Master's hand was sufficient to remind Peter by what power he stood upon the water. He had every right to be afraid of the storm if he thought that he was out on the water under his own power. But with Jesus by his side and supporting him, he had no need to fear. Back on his feet again, with his confidence restored, Peter walked with the Lord to the boat, and they both climbed aboard.

Peter did it, and so can we

We make much of Peter's near-fatal failure to stay afloat, but the reality is that he walked on the water like Christ. He did the Master's bidding, and he was sustained in his efforts. He accomplished the impossible. He got out of the boat.

We can do hard things in our lives. We can do miracles. The key is knowing the will of God. If he wants us to do a seemingly impossible task, and he bids us to do it, we can go with confidence that he will support us. If we keep our eye focused on him and recognize that it is his power, and not ours, that is sustaining us, we can succeed at whatever the Lord asks of us. Whether it is serving a mission, fulfilling a calling, raising a child, paying tithing, forgiving someone who has hurt us, befriending someone who is unlovable, healing the sick, or pulling a handcart, we can do whatever the Lord asks us to do. We can be confident that he is right there with us. When we fear or doubt our abilities, we have only to look to him, and he will steady and strengthen us.

Not all miracles are ours to perform

Some miracles, however, are not within our power. We can do anything that is God's will for us to do. if it is not his will, then our courage and bravado may not be enough to sustain us. On any other day, Peter would have jumped out of the boat and sunk straightway. For example, when Peter had been fishing and saw the resurrected Lord standing on the shore, he jumped out of the boat and swam to shore to meet him. It was not his time to walk on the water.

How do we know when a miracle is God's will and not our own pride or wishful thinking. We must be bidden. Remember, Peter said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me to come unto thee on the water." If the Lord directs us to action, either by revelation through the Holy Ghost or by a call from a priesthood leader, we can be confident that we can do what is asked of us. And not because we are capable by our own power, but because we know God will sustain us in keeping his command.

On the other hand, there are some things that are not within our power to do. We cannot violate another's agency. We cannot heal those whom God has ordained to die. We cannot remove a test from a loved one when God has placed that test to help our loved one grow and gain faith. We cannot make an investigator gain a testimony or choose to be baptized. We may force a child to read the scriptures with us, but we cannot force him to feel the Spirit.

Greater works than these

Nevertheless, when the Lord calls, we can do marvelous things. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do" (John 14:12).

Jesus converted only a few of his countrymen, but Peter convert 3,000 in a single day, and Wilford Woodruff brought more than 8,000 into the Church in England during a single mission. Jesus never left Palestine, but the Apostle Paul traveled across the entire known world, and Orson Hyde circumnavigate the globe in proclaiming the gospel. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead; so did Peter, Paul, Alma, Joseph Smith, and Ephraim Hanks, and many others.

These valiant servants all had one thing in common. When the Lord called, they were willing to get out of the boat.