Mark 6:47-52, ⁴⁷Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. ⁴⁸He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰because they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

The Sea of Galilee is really a large lake that is about 650 feet above sea level, 150 feet deep and surrounded by hills. These physical features make it subject to sudden windstorms that would cause extremely high waves. Such storms were common on the Sea of Galilee, and I expect the disciples had probably experienced them before, but still I’m sure the storm was frightening.

The disciples must have been tired after rowing across the lake for over three miles in a storm in the middle of the night. I imagine the disciples were not only scared for their lives because of the strong wind and high waves, but also terrified from seeing a “ghost” walking on water!

As Christians, we often face spiritual and emotional storms in our lives. We often feel tired from whatever “strong wind” we are facing. We feel enveloped by the “high waves” we are facing in our surroundings, and we feel scared as we are tossed about like a small boat in the “big lake” of our situations.  And like Peter from Matthew chapter 14, our faith wavers when we struggle with just “straining at the oars” of life and focus on the “waves” of the difficult circumstances surrounding us at times.

Peter started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the strong wind and high waves around him. The disciples were scared, but Jesus’ presence calmed their fears. Peter was afraid and sinking, but Jesus was there and reached out His hand. We may not walk on water, but we do walk through tough situations in our lives. To maintain your faith when your circumstances are difficult, keep your eyes on Jesus, see His hands reaching out for you, rather than your own inadequacies, and instead, “take courage” and trust that He is there for you!