22

22

seeing him walking on the sea, were troubled, saying, It is an

apparition. And they cried out through fear. But Jesus

immediately spoke to them saying. Take courage; it is I—be

not afraid”. I believe it would give us some impression of His

tender love toward them, even while they were troubled.

There is nothing, beloved brethren, more soothing than a word

from the Lord Jesus. “Take courage; it is I—be not afraid”. I

suppose for most of us it is a very slow process by which we

find that every resource is in Him, and that He is available to

us in every circumstance. There are circumstances in which

we need salvation, and Peter was really brought to a point of

extremity here. Now that is often the case in Scripture, that

God in His ways allows us to be brought to a point of

extremity, but it is to prove Him in it.

Peter said, “Lord, if it be thou; command me to come to thee

upon the waters”. There seemed to be doubt in Peter’s mind

as to whether it really was the Lord. The Lord says to him,

“Come”. On Peter’s part now there needed to be movement

toward the Person of Christ. The Lord Jesus would be able to

sustain him in that movement, but only He. What happens is

that “seeing the wind strong he was afraid; and beginning to

sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me”. “Seeing the wind”

means that he took his eye off the Person, Christ, the One in

whom salvation is, and started to be overcome by the pressure

of the circumstances, by the contrary wind. I suppose this kind

of thing is known by each one of us at times, for it is a sure

thing that as soon as you set yourself to be here for the Lord in

any way there is a force against you. Satan would not be too

bothered if we were not seeking to be here for the Lord, but as

you set your face that way you find there is a power against

you. And I think the Lord intends us to prove in such

circumstances that, all power is with Him; He is able, and

every resource is in Him.