Asking for a Hand-Out

Men often have a serious issue with asking for help when they need it. We're stereotyped by not stopping for directions, not reading the instructions, and expecting to be able to work things out for ourselves. Looking again at Peter in Matthew 14:25-31, we are likely all familiar with the story of Peter walking on the water with Jesus.

Let's look carefully though at what exactly Peter was doing here. Peter was the only disciple who asked for permission to walk on the water with Jesus. After Jesus said, "Come", Peter was the only disciple who stepped out. Peter was the only disciple to have been recorded to have ever walked on water.

Then Peter noticed what was going on around him. He lost his fixation on Christ and got started looking at the waves, and feeling the wind blowing on him. He met with some resistance, and he began to doubt. We often cover up and say we don't doubt, we believe God is all-powerful. Peter was walking on water with Jesus, and began to doubt.

Which leads us to Matthew 14:30, where we find Peter beginning to sink, and crying out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" He didn't wait until the water was over his head. He didn't wait until he was floundering around drowning. He called out for Jesus when he was beginning to sink. He asked for help, and Jesus reached His hand out, and caught Peter.

Jesus immediately asks Peter, "Why did you doubt?" He didn't ask why Peter had called out for help; He didn't question Peter's need for Him. He only asked why Peter had doubted. As men, we're prone to fall into this trap of doubt, even when so close to Jesus as walking on the water with Him. We need to remember that we need to call out for help, for prayer, and for assistance immediately, when we begin to sink, and not wait until we're blubbering and wallowing in our failure.

Pick of the Litter

Have you ever gone to pick out a new animal as either a pet or maybe a farm animal? The first thing most people do when the start to pick out a new animal is to look all the available ones over and try to gauge the potential of each one. Then we try to pick the one with the highest potential to meet our current needs.

Jesus seems to have done the same thing when He was on earth with us, calling Simon Peter to be His first disciple. Jesus seems to have been drawn to fishermen, and Peter was a great example of what it means to be a man as well as a follower of Christ.

Peter had a blind faith like few people I have ever met. When Jesus came walking on the Sea of Galilee, Peter was the only disciple to ask if he could join in the water-walking (Matthew 14:25-31). Peter was also still a man, and shortly after joining Jesus on the water began to sink in doubt.

Peter also directly denied knowing Christ (Mark 14:66-72). However, as soon as he realized his mistake, he was sorrowful and wept. After His resurrection, Jesus reassured Peter of His love in a parallel to his betrayal, by asking him if he loved Him three times, and telling him again to follow Him (John 21:15-19).

After having betrayed Jesus, he subsequently renewed his faith in Him. Then, Peter soon preached the first Spirit-filled sermon on the day of Pentecost to the crowd gathering to see what the commotion was (Acts 2:14-41). Acts 2:41 says "Those who accepted his message", meaning Peter's message, "were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." Peter's message led to the salvation of about 3,000 people in a single day!

What an amazing testimony Peter had. Certainly, Peter had his moments of failure, and some of them quite bad, but he always repented, and came back even stronger than before. As men we will sometimes fail; we sill stumble and fall, but we need to get back up and try again. Jesus will gladly restore our faith and make us even stronger than we once were if only we'll let Him.

Jesus saw the potential in Peter for a great man, and He wasn't disappointed. Sure, as God, Jesus knew that Peter would betray Him. As God, Jesus knew Peter would have doubts and fears. He knew that Peter was a man, and that Peter would make the same mistakes that we all make as men. Jesus still picked Peter first. How great it is that God looks at our potential for serving Him and chooses us, rather than looking at our potential for failing Him.

The Will of God

God has a particular place in which we are to be. He has a specific task laid out for us. We can do great things in His name, and be as far from serving Him as the man who is openly rebelling against God (Matthew 7:22). Paul is even grateful in 1 Corinthians 1:15-17 that he didn't baptize many people, because that wasn't his calling.

When we try to use our intelligence and our logic to determine what that purpose is that God has called us for, we miss the very purpose that God has laid out for us. In 1 Corinthians 1:21 says "in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him". We can't even begin to comprehend God or His will through our greatest understanding. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says that the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom.

Our faith in Jesus, and our following the will of God even when it doesn't make sense to us is the only thing we can do. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says, "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God" and "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." All of our thoughts, all of our knowledge, and all of our desires are meaningless in light of the wisdom of God. None of the things of the world are as important as following Him.