Among the disciples,
Peter possessed an unrivaled abandon toward JESUS. He was
the across the board leader of the twelve, and definitely the
most
impetuous. Whether it was the tabernacles at the LORD'S transfiguration;
hacking away at Malchus during HIS arrest; or again casting himself into the sea
after CHRIST'S resurrection; Peter proved himself recklessly
abandoned to his LORD.
It is precisely here though, out on the frontier, where faith
thrives the best. What men view as a blind leap, GOD views as
demonstrable trust. Faith is relatively dormant at the rear lines, but
vibrant and brash at the snort of battle. The flesh will
always lull you to: Row, Row, Row Your Boat; the SPIRIT of faith
however,
casts us into the deep and cries: Hallelujah ... man overboard!
... and contrary to that cute lil' tune which would move us
all gently down the stream, the Christian life is not a breeze,
but it really is a battle. Fright and ingenuity will row the boat,
faith will brave the wave! Sadly though, in deference to the
familiar, most go down with their ship when faced with the choices
a storm presents.
"... if it be THOU," Don't confuse
Peter's words here with the voice of doubt ... it is rather
the eye of focus.
"For now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face:" Our inner eye of faith is jaded this
side of Heaven by our outer eye of sin.
"(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" The curse brought with it a
cursed myopia and paradoxically, the only anecdote is to look
without sight. "Looking unto
JESUS the author and
finisher of our faith;" In response to Peter,
JESUS simply replies: "Come."
What a sweet salve for the eye is the voice of the SAVIOR.
There, somewhere just beyond your sight, is where the squint of
the SPIRIT brings HIS presence into perfect view. Where has JESUS
beckoned you "come"? (cf.
Matthew 11:28) Stay in the
boat if you must; but be warned, every boat men row
absent of HIM is one day destined for shipwreck.
"Holding faith, and a good conscience;
which some having put away concerning faith have made
shipwreck:"