Matthew 14:28

This verse comes from a story where Jesus has just fed thousands of people with almost nothing, then sent his disciples ahead in a boat while he went to pray alone. In the middle of the night, a violent storm hits on the Sea of Galilee — a large lake in northern Israel known for sudden, dangerous squalls. The disciples see a figure walking toward them on the water and think it's a ghost. Jesus calls out to reassure them. Peter — one of Jesus' twelve closest followers, known throughout the Gospels for his boldness and impulsiveness — shouts back this request: if it's really you, command me to come out to you on the water. He doesn't ask Jesus to stop the storm. He asks to walk into it.

Lord, I confess I spend a lot of time in the boat, waiting for calmer water. Give me the courage of Peter — not the certainty, just the courage to call out and ask to come. And when I step out and start to sink, be close enough to catch me before I go under. Amen.

Notice that tiny word: 'if.' Lord, if it's you. Peter is not certain. He's squinting through spray and darkness and howling wind, and he's not fully sure what he's seeing. That's easy to gloss over, but it may be the most human thing in the story. He isn't standing on rock-solid conviction, chest out, fully resolved. He's half-convinced in the middle of a storm, and out of that uncertainty he shouts something audacious. Most of us, in doubt, go quiet and pull the oar a little harder. Peter asks for more. Here's what's worth sitting with: he didn't ask Jesus to stop the storm first. He asked to step into it as it was — wind, waves, dark water, all of it. The invitation came mid-squall, not after things settled. Wherever you're waiting for the conditions to feel right — calmer water, more certainty, a clearer sign, a less complicated month — this story has a quiet and inconvenient challenge for you. What if faith isn't what you arrive at after the storm passes? What if it's the thing that makes you ask to get out of the boat while the wind is still howling?