Boat Potatoes

Matthew 14:22–33

Phrases that spoke to me today:
• if it is you, command me to come to you on the water
• Lord, save me
• O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
• truly you are the Son of God

Applying the Word to My Life:
When I wake up in the morning, the first step out of bed is always the hardest. Lying there warm and comfortable, it is tempting to just stay there and do nothing all day — to become a bed potato. Right alongside that is the temptation to just stay on the couch for the day, letting everything pass by while staying comfortable — a couch potato.

The disciples are facing an even bigger problem. As bad as the storm is, leaving the safety of the boat had to seem like insanity. There was a strong temptation to just stay put and hope everything worked out well around them. Only Peter was willing to take that first step out of the boat.

It is worth thinking about what Peter didn't do. He didn't just step out of the boat. He asked to be called first. That isn't timidity — that is seeking his mission in the moment. It is easy to come up with all the things we think we should do, but if we want to take the path created for us we need to start in faith. We need to ask God if we are following the mission he made us for. Asking the question is the initial seed of faith. Moving without even asking is the self-centeredness that pulls us away from Christ.

Most of us already know where we are sitting in the boat. There is something we have been putting off, a step we haven't taken, a question we haven't asked. The problem feels too big, the timing never seems right, the outcome too uncertain. Those are the excuses that keep us in our seat.

The rest of the disciples came from that place and stayed where they were. Boat potatoes — safe, dry, and not moving toward Christ. There is no shame being leveled at them here. But they didn't move. They watched.

Jesus called Peter knowing that he would "fail" and sink on his own. But even in that failure, Peter was closer to Christ than the disciples were — physically and spiritually. He also knew where to turn when his faith alone wasn't enough. When Peter's faith ran out, Christ didn't wait for him to have it together before reaching for him. The rescue came before the lesson. While Peter's faith wasn't enough to complete the mission alone, it created the opening for Christ to work with it to completion.

Our faith is never enough to get us all the way there on our own — that only comes through Christ. But our faith is necessary for that first step. Without it we stay in the boat. With it we at least move toward him — and he meets us the rest of the way.

Even the boat potatoes were changed by what Peter showed them. One person's willingness to step out gives the people around them something to see, planting more seeds of faith.

Christ can overcome our doubt. He is already reaching. Are we willing to ask to be called out of the boat?

My Response for Today:
Today I will identify one area of my life where I have been sitting in the boat — and ask Christ to call me out.