We Are Wave-Walkers
1. Fear Not!
We are in the middle of a raging storm. Waves and winds of fear, anxiety, anger, hatred, violence, corruption, injustice, immorality, greed, and lust for money and power, are buffeting us from all sides. By almost any standard, we are better off today than ever before in history. We live longer, hurt less, and earn more. Yet, we live in a time of fear, in a culture of fear. We are in a storm of fear.
What are we, God’s people, going to do? Many believers are disillusioned, perplexed, and confused. They are torn and split between biblical principles and what seems practical, between living the kingdom life and what seems possible, between love and safety, between taking the risk to be different and security and comfort, between faith and fear. Many believers have also fallen prey to fear, anxiety, worry, and anger. And so they seek refuge and protection in worldly powers and idols, in money and political power. “We must save Christianity, protect the church,” they say.
What? Have we forgotten who the Lord of the Church is? What the church is about? The church, the Christian faith, God’s people need no saving and protection, never have, never will. Nations and rulers have come and gone, but the church is still there and will be there until the end. Neither the gates of hell nor any world power or authority will overcome it or withstand it. Many have tried and failed. We are in the hands of the true, living, all-powerful Lord and Ruler of the universe. He gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The opposite is true. The world needs us. We are the living proof, the message, and witness of the only true and real salvation and protection. “You of little faith, why do you doubt?”
This storm has been raging since the fall of humankind into sin. The church has been in the middle of this storm since the day of Pentecost. This storm will not cease until our Lord comes again. Actually, this storm is going to get worse. So, what are we going to do? Stay and cower in our boats? Or are we going to get out and walk on water with Jesus?
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” In His Word, God instructs us 366 times, one for each day of the year, “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid. Be strong and courageous.” God knows how fickle and unfaithful we are, how quickly we allow fear to dominate us, how quickly we turn our eyes of faith away from Him, and seek our refuge and safety in other things, in other tangible idols.
However, there is a better and greater reason why God tells us not to fear. It is because He calls us to do things that seem impossible, things that actually cause more fear. Fear is the number one reason why we avoid doing what God calls us to do. Jesus calls us to extreme discipleship, to be radically different. He calls us to be wave-walkers. However, to walk on water, we must get out of our boats.
2. Fear Keeps Us in Our Boats
But fear keeps us in our boats. Our boats are our safety nets, the arrangements we have made to keep ourselves safe. Our boat is whatever represents safety and security to us apart from God himself. Our boat is whatever we are tempted to put our trust in, especially when life gets stormy. Our boat is whatever keeps us so comfortable that we don’t want to give it up even if it’s keeping us from joining Jesus on the waves. Our boat is whatever pulls us away from the high adventure of extreme discipleship, whatever keeps us from experiencing the unspeakable joy of kingdom living.
When we stay in our boats, we work hard to survive, to keep our boats safe, straining at the oars like the disciples (Mk 6:48). We develop and try all kinds of plans, schemes, and tricks to secure the boat and our safety. We put on life jackets. We install powerful engines to push us through the storm. We have comfortable deck chairs. We install stabilizers to prevent seasickness. But is the boat really safe? Any of these can break down. The boat can leak, break apart, or capsize and sink.
What is your boat? Your fear will tell you. Ask yourself this: What produces the most fear in me, especially when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith? In what area of your life are you holding back from fully and courageously trusting God? Fear will tell you what your boat is. What will be the hardest thing ever to leave? That’s your boat. [PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION — my boat was my teaching ministry — cannot be a pastor]
3. Wave-Walkers Take Risks
Wave-walkers step out of their boats in faith and take risks. They expect problems. They accept fear and failure. They overcome fear with faith. God is the greatest Risk-Taker of all times. He created humankind with a free will and the choice to follow Him or not. He knew fully what was going to happen. Yet, He went ahead and did it anyway. He took the risk to send his Son to save the world. He took the risk to establish his church to be his people, knowing fully how many times his church will fail Him. Yet, He continues with his mission to use us to show the world His love and kingdom.
What do we expect when we get out of our boats and follow Jesus? No problems, no suffering, no pain, no fear, comfort, and ease? When Peter stepped out of the boat, the storm did not cease. The water did not become smooth and firm. The storm was still there. Jesus did not promise us a rose garden or safety. When we step out of our boats, we will face the wind and waves out there. There is danger in getting out of the boat. But there is danger in staying in it as well. Everything is risky. When you place baseball, if you don’t step up to the plate, you will never know the glory of what it is to hit a home run. If you don’t step out of your boat and walk the waves with Jesus, you will never know the exhilaration of living the kingdom life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Wave-walkers accept fear and failure. Fear of failure, fear of what others may think, fear of inadequacy, these fears keep us in our boats. But the fear will never go away. Each time we want to learn and grow, it will involve going into new territory, taking on new challenges. And each time we do that, we will experience discomfort and fear again. We learn and grow from failure.
Did Peter fail? Perhaps in a way — he took his eyes away from Jesus, he doubted, but … there were eleven bigger failures sitting in the boat. They failed quietly. They failed privately. Their failure went unnoticed, unobserved, uncriticized. Only Peter knew the shame of public failure. But he learned and grew from his failure. Only Peter knew the glory of walking on water. He knew what it was to attempt to do what he could not do on his own, then feeling the euphoria of being empowered by God to actually do it. Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate need. Peter knew that when he sank, Jesus would be wholly adequate to save him.
4. Wave-walkers Overcome Fear with Faith
The fear never goes away, but wave-walkers overcome fear with faith. They believe and trust that God is at work and in control. They pay attention to and take notice of where and how God is at work. Then, in faith, they step out of the boat and join God on the waves. With eyes of faith, wave-walkers recognize when Jesus is passing by, when he is around, recognize his presence.
When Jesus walked on water, He was not doing a magic trick to impress his disciples. Yes, He wanted to get their attention. He walked on water to reveal himself to them as the Son of God, as the Messiah, as God, as the great I Am. He did so because He was going to call them to do something extraordinary. He wanted to reassure them, “You can trust me. You can safely place your destiny in my hands. Take courage. Don’t be afraid. Believe. It is I. I am.”
This is not just a story about taking risks. It is also a story about obedience. Even though Peter was usually overeager and spontaneous, this time, before he got out of the boat, he made sure that Jesus thinks it’s a good idea. So he asked, “If it is you, command me. . . .”
Wave-walkers discern between an authentic call from God and what might simply be a foolish impulse on my part. When we step out of our boats, we must make sure that it is Jesus calling us to walk with him on the waves. We do not walk on waves for selfish reasons, to have our 5-minutes of fame, or get an adrenaline rush. Wave-walking is not an extreme sport but a practice of extreme discipleship.
So, we must know that it is Jesus calling us, and then keep our eyes fixed on him. When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter got out of the boat. And he walked on water. He did the impossible. He walked on water and came to Jesus. But then he made a mistake. His focus shifted from the Lord and Savior to the storm. He paid attention to the strong wind and high waves. He doubted. And he sank.
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Whether we sink or walk on waves depends on whether we focus on the storm or on Jesus. There is a storm out there. He calls us to step out in faith and be wave-walkers with Him. Our faith will not be perfect. Sometimes we will fail to walk on water. But when we fail Jesus will be there to pick us up. We will not fail alone. We will find that He is Lord and that He is still wholly adequate to save us with his hand reached out to pull us up and set our feet walking on waves again.
What about you? When was the last time you got out of your boat? Have you gotten out of your boat yet? To be wave-walkers, to be followers of Jesus, we must renounce comfort and safety as the ultimate value of your life. You may have a very nice boat. You may have gotten quite comfortable sitting in your boat. We all know the term “couch potatoes.” The eleven disciples could be called “boat potatoes.” They didn’t mind watching, but they didn’t want to actually do anything.
Millions of people in churches these days could be called “pew potatoes.” They want the safety and comfort associated with the Christian faith, but they don’t want the risk and challenges that go along with actually following Jesus. The organized church, the church as an institution, becomes our boat where we can practice safe religion. But safe religion becomes self-absorbed, sentimental, esoteric, exclusive, even superstitious. When our faith is passive, safe, void of risk, it loses its witness to the world. It stops being the salt and light of the world. Such a faith gives up its potential and power to awaken, reawaken, revive, restore a dying culture and society. Having a faith that will not step out of the boat and risk means that we can only serve when it is safe. South Sudan and Pakistan can wait. Injustice, corruption, crime, racism can wait. The broken families, the widows, and orphans can wait. The refugees can wait. It means we will never buy a meal for a homeless person or staff a shelter for battered women. We cannot send cleanup crews into the cities in the wake of riots. It’s too dangerous. It’s not safe. Something bad might happen.
But the Lord is passing by in the storm, walking on waves. Jesus is still looking, today, for people who will get out of their boat and walk the waves with him. He is looking for someone who will say, quoting John Ortberg, “I may be small potatoes, Lord, but this spud’s for you. I want to walk the waves with you.” I don’t want just to survive. I want to thrive and let your kingdom come in me and through me. We don’t have to be big potatoes like Billy Graham, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or Mother Teresa. Still, every small step we take to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness, to be merciful, pure in heart and make peace, there God’s kingdom has come in our lives and the lives of those around us. There we are wave-walkers.
So, name your boat. Step out of it. Move beyond your fear and into authentic faith. That’s where the power and the unspeakable joy of the kingdom life is. That’s where Jesus is. Join Him. You are wave-walkers. Go and be wave-walkers.