Which apostle walked on water

He and the other disciples had been straining against the waves and wind all night long when Jesus appeared to them, walking on the water.

These were rough seas, and Peter was willing to literally step onto them because He was looking at Jesus. That gave him confidence and courage. It went well for a while until Peter started to sink. And why did he sink? Because he took his eyes off Jesus and put them on other things. Circumstances can be frightening. When your boss calls you in and tells you the company has to downsize and they are letting you go, when the doctor calls you with the test results that are not good, when you open that letter from an attorney that says you are being sued, it can scare you.

It can devastate you. And it can cause you to take your eyes off Jesus. Where fear reigns, faith is driven away. But where faith reigns, fear has no place. As you bring in faith, fear will walk out the back door. But if you invite fear as a resident in your life, then you will drive faith away. Peter had faith. He had his eyes on Jesus. He was doing the impossible. But then he started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus. In his case, he looked at the wind. In our case, it might be something else.

But when we forget God, we will start to sink. We, too, embarked upon our journey through mortality in willing response to divine will. And, like the disciples on the ship, who were aware of the dangers of traveling on the Sea of Galilee, with its sudden storms, we began our journey with an understanding that there would be perils along the way.

We find that there are forces capable of upsetting our most carefully improvised plans. But we, like Peter, can discover that our Savior stands nearby, though perhaps dimly seen, ready to help us if we will but reach out to him and accept his divine assistance. We need not struggle alone. Imagine Peter leaving the boat alone and walking by faith on the water.

If we would come to Jesus, we also must forego an inviting reliance on worldly supports. We must determine whether our best opportunity lies in the storm-tossed—though still floating—ship or whether it lies out on the waves with the Savior. Instead, it is a learning process—a mandatory sequence for all who would inherit eternal life.

Each step Peter took away from the ship was a trial of his faith; each step toward Jesus took him a step farther from his accustomed means of survival. In a moment of confusion, fear overpowered his faith, and Peter started to fall. So like our lives! As we learn the gospel and develop our faith, we reach the point where we feel strong enough to leave the boat; we determine to stand free from worldly supports and voluntarily walk by faith through the tempest toward our Savior.

Each step for us may be a trial. And, like Peter, we may slip! We may feel the awful descent toward destruction and, in confused desperation, consider the safety of the ship. But wait! Hand grasps hand, and we are pulled to the Master of wind and water. No more is he seen vaguely through the storm; no more is his voice indistinct in the roar of the gale.

Now we are home; now the trial is over. June Instilling a Righteous Image Sherrie Johnson. What is the significance of the account of Peter walking on the water? David Lee. Dean B.