Baby Steps Of Faith - Peter

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 14:28-29

All parents love to see small children take their first steps. The experience can also be nerve-wracking as they worry that those wobbly little legs will give way and result in a nasty bump or fall.

Learning to walk can be a time of smiles and pride for everyone involved, but it’s also frequently a time of stumbling and falling, with perhaps a few tears. It can feel both wonderful and stressful to watch a toddler learn to coordinate his or her legs and feet and try something completely new.

Believers in Christ who are taking their first steps of faith go through a similar experience, with similar emotions. As we dare to take those steps, we often have moments of success followed by incidents of failure when we fall flat on our faces.

The apostle Peter is a famous biblical example.

Peter was easily the most impulsive of Jesus’ twelve apostles. He said things that the others only thought about and did things they didn’t dare to try. In the Gospels, Peter is the baby in faith who tries new things to discover what he is able to do.

Peter has gained a lot of notoriety for his impulsiveness in getting out of the boat and walking to Jesus on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, only to panic and begin sinking like a rock when he took his eyes off his Master. He allowed the howling wind and crashing waves around him to overwhelm his faith.

Many think of Peter as the disciple who couldn’t keep his eyes on Jesus. But though he failed to do what Jesus had plainly said he could do, he succeeded in doing what no one else even had the nerve to try. He took a few baby steps of faith toward the mature believer in Christ he would one day become.

Sometimes you may step out and follow Jesus more closely, only to stumble and fall. Don’t be afraid to get out of the boat and try something new. Your faith grows as you exercise it, so risk the unknown and the unfamiliar. Jesus will always be there to catch you when you fall.