And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him. —Matthew 14:31

As the ship was tossed with waves and the winds blew in the dark of the night, Jesus came walking on the water. The disciples were fearful, thinking it might be a spirit. Jesus spoke and told them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27). What a wonderful privilege to hear the voice of the Savior in the difficult storms of life. His presence and voice are still penetrating the storms today.

Peter desired to go out on the water to Christ. Jesus bade him come; and so, in the middle of the storm, Peter stepped out of the boat. What faith and trust. Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. This was a great physical display of the victory that is in Christ! Peter was able to overcome the natural properties of the water by the power of God. Salvation is similar in that we are able to overcome our natural propensity to sin and live holy lives by the power of God.

As Peter walked on the water, he looked around and saw the severity of the storm. The reality of the danger caused his faith to waver, and he began to sink. Before he was overcome, he cried out to the Lord. “Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him”, reproving him for his lack of faith. When they got back to the ship, the storm ceased.

Victory is wonderful! Experiencing the divine power of God that enables us to overcome sin and the world is a miraculous blessing. However, there are times when the storm may get very intense; if we are not careful, our faith may also begin to waver. We need not sink if we keep our eyes on Jesus. If we find our faith wavering when the powers of this world and of the flesh begin to pull hard, we can cry out to the Lord and He will lift us up; that is our loving Savior.

As the Lord stretches out His hand to us when our faith begins to waver, how can we do less for our fellow brother or sister in the Lord? ■