Faith stands as a cornerstone of our Christian experience. In this article, I will share some remarkable insights on one of the most astonishing biblical narratives: When Jesus walked on water.
This story is truly profound, filled with hidden gems of wisdom and truth. By the end of this article, you will understand how to lead a victorious life by cultivating perfect faith— the kind of faith that compels life circumstances to align with God’s will for you.
1. Jesus Walks on Water
The detailed narrative is found in the gospel account of St Matthew, in Matthew 14:22-36. Earlier on, Jesus had just performed the most astonishing feeding project in history, where he served 5000 men with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish.
Thereafter, the crowd went home and the disciples got on the boat to sail into the sea. And Jesus He went to a solitary place to pray.
A detailed picture of what the disciples encountered in the sea is presented:
Matthew 14:24 NLT
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had rise, and they were fighting heavy waves.
What a terrifying experience this would have been. Away from the master, isolated in the middle of the raging waters, battling to stay afloat.
But at 3 o’clock in the morning, their master came toward them walking on water (Matthew 14:25).
2. Peter Walks On Water
Jesus assures them to have courage and to not be afraid. Thereafter, Peter makes a somewhat bold request in Matthew 14:28, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you waling in the water.”
Peter must have been weary from battling the waves, and as he observed Jesus walking effortlessly on the tumultuous waters, he yearned to leap from the boat and embody the same calmness that Jesus displayed.
Matthew 14:29 then reads, “So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.” The The following occurs:
Matthew 14:31 NLT
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Jesus’ comment highlights that it was Peter’s lack of faith and presence of doubt that led him to begin sinking. Thus, the ability to walk on turbulent waters demands complete faith and trust in Jesus. Perfect faith serves as the remedy for little faith, while placing trust in Jesus counters doubt.
It’s as though Jesus was expressing that small faith causes us to doubt him, because true and perfect faith breeds trust in him.
The greater your faith in Jesus, the stronger your trust in Him becomes. Peter exhibited little faith, which correspondingly resulted in a limited trust in Jesus—an equivalent to doubt.
3. Faith In Jesus
The following is a biblical definition of faith:
Hebrews 11:1 NLT
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for, it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
Peter’s little faith was just enough to make him step out of the boat. Yet he fell short on the faith to keep him walking on water.
From this Scripture we can deduce that there’s two types of faith:
- Starting Faith: The faith that helps you get started in your journey with the Lord.
- Enduring Faith: The faith to keeps going in the things of the Lord, it keeps your hope and trust in him in tact.
Starting Faith is the most simple, we hear God’s command and we obey. The same way Jesus said to Peter, “come” and Peter began stepping out of the boat.
On the other hand, Enduring Faith involves having the endurance and capability to remain steadfast in following God’s command. It may be simple to start something based on a command, but persevering requires more than just a small amount of faith.
The parable of the 10 bridesmaids illustrates the difference between Starting Faith and Enduring Faith. Both five foolish ones and the five wise ones took their lamps and went to meet the groom in Matthew 25:1. This was a demonstration of Starting Faith just Peter stepped out of the boat and went toward Jesus walking on the water.
But when the bridegroom was delayed, only the five wise ones still had enough oil to light up their lamps. The oil to keep the lamp burning is representative of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). They had enough faith to wait on the bridegroom, trusting that he will indeed return, a demonstration of Enduring Faith.
The five foolish bridesmaids lacked the enduring faith to continue waiting for the bridegroom and thus were rejected by the bridegroom.
4. How To Cultivate Your Enduring Faith
Enduring Faith is what we need to keep above the raging waves and high tides of life. It is achieved by keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Peter saw the waves and began to sink, therefore Enduring Faith requires that our eyes be laser focused on Jesus. The writer of Hebrews when referring to how to persist and endure in our life of faith explains how to achieve this:
Hebrews 12:2 NLT
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
I love how this verse puts everything together, we keep our eyes on Jesus, for he initiates (Starting Faith) and perfects (Enduring Faith) our faith.
Every believer’s faith was initiated the day they accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of their lives. Thereafter Jesus began the work to perfect our faith through his word. This is how Paul described how to cultivate Enduring Faith:
Romans 10:17 NLT
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
5. What Happens When You Stay In Faith?
Enduring in your faith in Jesus Christ our Lord leads glory, praise and honor from God in your life.
1 Peter 1:7 NLT
So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Let’s unpack the three elements.
5.1 Praise
In the Parable of the Three Servants, the two servants who obeyed the Master by using their talents well were highly applauded upon the return of the Master.
Matthew 25:23 NLT
Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.
The two servants demonstrated both starting and enduring faith, as they had multiplied the resources which the Master had entrusted upon them.
5.2 Glory
When we keep the faith, and never give up in our journey with our Lord Jesus, by keeping our eyes on him, the word assures that His God’s glory will be evident in our lives.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things that we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Whatever life’s trouble you’re confronted with, have the surety that they are small and they won’t last.
But these troubles foster the manifestation of God’s glory. Therefore, embrace them and take them for an opportunity for great joy coming your way (James 1:2).
Jesus manifested power and glory by walking on water. Therefore, when the storm comes, because it will, keep the faith and know it’s an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed in a mighty and awe-inspiring way.
Romans 5:2 NLT
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of underserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
5.3 Honor
In the Kingdom of God, there is a reward program that guarantees a reward of honor to those who demonstrate perfect faith by looking unto Jesus.
We established earlier that your faith in Christ is proportional to your trust in him. Hebrews 10:35 reads, “So don’t throw away your confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you.”
Trusting God has great rewards, the five wise bridesmaids went into the marriage feast, because of the sheer faith and trust the had in the bridegroom and expectation of his return. They were honored to partake in the in the marriage feast with the bridegroom Matthew 25:10.
Likewise in the parable of the three servants, the two servants who acted faithfully were honored by being called to enter into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:23).
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that god exists and He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.
Dear reader, there are great rewards that God bestows upon those who put their faith and trust in Him. Paul wrote of his anticipation to receiving a prize, a prize that all believers too can expect.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT
And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
And as a concluding example, Jesus
6. Perfect And Complete Faith
Dear reader, if find yourself in the midst of turbulent waters of life, fighting to stay afloat and praying that God quells the raging waves into a calm normality, please understand this: you are in Christ, and Christ is above all things, including the troubles in your life.
Step out and soar above the storm, because being in Christ legitimizes you to live a victorious life: calmly walking above the raging tides and strolling in the blazing fires of life.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, by reading the word, after all Jesus is the living Word.
Trust the word, it never fails, and if God’s promises seem slow in coming, have faith in knowing that they will not be delayed (Habakkuk 2:3).
Keep the faith and patiently endure, then Christ – the one who has initiated your faith – will also perfect it.
James 1:3-4 NLT
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
7. Examples of Faith
In the New Living Translation, the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is titled: Great Examples of Faith.
This chapter highlights biblical figures who exemplified both Starting Faith and Enduring Faith. One of my favorite examples mentioned is the fall of Jericho.
Hebrews 11:30 NLT
It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days and the walls came crashing down.
The people of Israel received the word from God through Joshua, to march around the Jericho one each day for seven days. They demonstrated Starting Faith on the first day when they marched around the city as per Gods command.
This continued until the seventh day, showcasing their Enduring Faith. They kept marching each day because of the hope to see God’s promise fulfilled which is to hand the city over to them (Joshua 6:2).
The number seven in the Bible is symbolic of perfection and completion. Jericho’s walls falling on the seventh day highlights that the faith of the Israelites was perfect and complete for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Hence the walls came crashing down on the seventh day, they faith had endured to its perfection and completion.
8. Final Remarks
Perfect faith is what is required to fulfill God’s promises and to live victoriously in life. The disciples started off following Jesus with just little faith.
At times their little faith embarrassed them, a case in point was when they couldn’t heal the demon possessed boy. When they asked Jesus why they couldn’t heal the boy Jesus responded in Matthew 17:20, “You don’t have enough faith.”
But nonetheless, they did not forgo following and walking with Jesus and obeying his commands. They continued to believe, and eventually their faith was perfected through endurance.
The Acts of the Apostles details how they demonstrated the Enduring Faith, from the time they waited for the Holy Spirit to come throughout the times when the Church began and continued to increase.
Dear reader, be encouraged to stay the course. A victorious life is a life of endurance, therefore, patiently endure (Hebrews 10:36).
We have a model to look up to, that is Christ Jesus. The Hebrew writer calls him “the champion” in Hebrews 12:2. This means he started and completed that which God has placed before him, emerging as a champion of faith. And he has been honored to sit at the right hand of God.
He is the true model that showcased endurance and patience through faith in the promises of God. We have established that faith brings praise, honor and glory. This was also applicable in the life of Jesus:
Praise:
- Jesus faith was beyond reproach and received praise from God the Father.
Matthew3:17 NLT
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Honor:
- The reward was that he would sit at the right of God would make all his enemies his footstool. And indeed Jesus was exalted to sit at the right hand of the Father, above all principalities and all authorities.
Hebrews 10:12 NLT
But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all times. Then he sat down in the place of honor at god’s right hand.
Glory:
- Jesus prayed in John 17:4, “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.” The complete work Jesus performed on the cross was testament of his perfect and complete faith. And the results was that God was glorified and in turn, God the Father glorified the Son.
Hebrews 1:3 NLT
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.
Finally, Revelations 5:13 summarizes that Jesus Christ is truly worthy of praise, honor and glory both now and forever.
Revelations 5:13 NLT
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
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