"Lord, Save Me" John 6

Peter has stepped out in faith in Jesus’ calling. It was God’s grace – Jesus – who called Peter to come to Him on the water. It will be God’s grace – Jesus – who will save Peter from sinking into deep, dark despair in the storm.  As long as Peter kept his eyes upon Jesus, he walked on the water toward Jesus and his calling. But when, he started looking at the circumstances surrounding him, he began to sink. If Jesus called Peter to walk on water, He will not let Peter drown. Apart from God’s grace – Jesus – Peter couldn’t be saved. Jesus sticks closer to us than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) He is not afar off.

In spite of Peter’s shortcomings, he always managed to get back on track in his walk with Jesus. Even here, Peter cried out to the Lord, “save me.” Taking a risk sometimes results in failure, but Jesus is always there to save us when we turn to Him. Jesus will use this situation to teach Peter and the other disciples and work it out for His glory. When we try to trust in ourselves and our own strength, we sink. It was Jesus who was giving Peter the power to walk on water. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he took his eyes off of Jesus's power and fell. Jesus will also be the power who saves Peter.

Jesus – God’s grace – reached out His hand and saved Peter. Grace is not God’s provision to overlook sin. It is His provision to overcome sin. When we allow Jesus’ cleansing and transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit and Word to remove sin in us – one sin at a time, we are changed and lifted up into the higher spiritual realm above sin and destruction. Walking on the water of the Word helps us remain above the ways of the world and empowers us to do miraculous works. When we try to trust ourselves and our own ways and power, we sink. It was Jesus who was giving Peter the power to walk on the water. It will be the power of Jesus that will save him. Apart from God’s grace, Peter couldn’t be saved nor can any of us.

Jesus is a very present help in time of trouble. Not only did Jesus save Peter, He wanted Peter to know why he began to sink. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 14:31, “You of little faith, why did you doubt.” This is a gentle rebuke from Jesus. Then Jesus took Peter’s hand and walked with him back to the boat and joined the other disciples. When they received Him into the boat, they began to worship Him. With Jesus in the boat with them, they immediately reached their destiny. Since Jesus is the One who gives us our destiny, He will be the One who will carry us to our destiny. The darkness and storm had held the disciples from doing this. Jesus never left or forsook His beloved disciples however. Nowhere in the account of this situation in the midst of darkness and the raging waters did Jesus condemn or judge Peter or the disciples who remained in the boat. He taught Peter and joined the others as they journeyed to where He had called them.

The result of Peter taking the risk of walking on the water brought salvation to Peter and the others as well. It also helped Peter and the other disciples to see Jesus in a greater light and depth. “Truly, You are the Son of God,” and they worshiped Him. Matthew 14:33 Prior to this, the disciples saw Jesus as a prophet of God, but they didn’t see Him as God. Now they are assured that He is the Son of God – the express image of the Father with the same power and authority.

Risk-taking

Taking a risk sometimes means failure but Jesus is always there to rescue us and use the circumstance to teach us so we will draw closer and closer to Jesus and His power, not depend upon our own. Jesus will reach out His hand, save us and walk together with us as we return to our calling. Our mistakes are not failures if we learn from them.

Jesus wanted His disciples to learn:

• Without Him they cannot face and calm a storm that may come up in their lives.
• He will never leave or forsake His own and will come to save them by His power, grace, truth and love.
• If Jesus calls us to something, He will bring us to it.
• He is the Light in the darkness and chaos.
• He is the Creator who has authority over all creation – even the wind and waves obey Him.
• Obedience to Jesus’ Word by faith brought Peter out of His comfort zone and closer to Jesus.
• They saw Jesus in a Greater Light and worshiped Him as the Son of God.

Jesus wants to take us higher and higher into the spiritual realm and reveal Himself to us in deeper and deeper ways. As we submit to the Anointed Word by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be elevated higher and higher into the spiritual realm with Jesus. We will leave the ground level of our existence in the flesh and be on a mountain (higher place) with Him. Often, Jesus took His disciples up on a mountain to speak to them and teach them. Even Jesus went up a mountain to commune with His Heavenly Father. Jesus calls His own to the higher realm until He calls us to His Heavenly home for all eternity. “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, undefiled, separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens.” Hebrews 7:26