“But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted.”

—Matthew 14:30 

It was an act of great faith to even try it in the first place. Peter climbed out of the boat, and instead of sinking, he stood. Soon he was walking on the water, looking at Jesus. It was a miraculous event.

Now, we don’t know what happened, but something caused Peter to take his eyes off the Lord. And we do know this: When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to do the impossible. But when he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.

We may criticize Peter for sinking instead of standing. Yet we don’t read of anyone else climbing out of the boat that night.

Earlier Jesus had miraculously fed five thousand men, plus women and children. The enthusiastic crowd wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king. So, Jesus told His disciples to get into a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee.

Yet it wasn’t long until they found themselves in what we might call a protecting storm. It was also a perfecting storm. Jesus was teaching His disciples to grow stronger spiritually.

Matthew’s Gospel says, “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’ But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. “Take courage. I am here!’ ” (14:25–27 NLT).

Jesus was teaching them to trust Him despite their circumstances. He was teaching them to look beyond what they faced circumstantially and to live by faith.

Maybe God is allowing you to go through a perfecting storm. He hasn’t abandoned you. God is thinking about you, and He’s still there. Whatever storm you’re going through, keep your eyes on Him. And keep moving forward.