Stepping out of the boat….

Among all the disciples only Peter left the boat and like Jesus he walked on the water. But when Peter's attention was diverted from Jesus to the winds around him, his faith began to weaken, and he began to sink helplessly into the water. He cried out, appealing to Jesus for help.

If we are sinking cry out HELP GOD!!!
Have a blessed day ahead🤍

Psalm 34:4~ I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and He delivered me from all my fears.

I dunno... I always hear preachers downing Peter because he lost faith and started to sink. But at least Peter got out of the boat. Peter had an experience all the other disciples didn't get in on.

I never hear any preachers talking about all the other disciples who didn't get out of the boat.

Notice that, as soon as Peter cried to Jesus for help, Jesus reached out and saved him.

At first sight, they all thought Jesus was a ghost and so were probably scared. When Peter said, "Lord, if it is You, bid me to come." and Jesus said, "Come," how quickly either Pete forgot the Lord's calling or waivered to think Jesus would bid him out only to sink.

And how many steps did Peter take before crying out? Thank God, He is with us every step of the way!

I think there has to be something to the fact of all Jesus'disciples Peter was the one who demonstrated little faith in him.

Peter's walk on the water,his denying Jesus 3 times during Jesus' crucifixion.

That’s what am thinking too Lynx why the other disciples didn’t stepped out of the boat since they already in there so might as well be all in right…but they didn’t have that full courage like what Peter did though very adventurous if I may say😅😅😅 sometimes even us are like that either like Peter we will be All In in experiencing God’s miracle or on a safe zone in the boat😅

Yeah, well... You're talking about the same dude who got the keys to the kingdom. The same dude who unlocked the kingdom for the Jews on the day of Pentecost and for the Gentiles at Cornelius' house.

That's the same guy who was so close to God that if you needed healing you tried to make sure his shadow would fall over you as he went down the road.

He may have had a bit of a learning curve, but once he got a bit of practice at bat he was knocking them out of the park regularly.

That's true...but like all of us, some habits are hard to break.
Remember when he had his dream about eating "unclean meat" and then there's the story about Paul having to chastise Peter about his split behavior Jewish and Gentile....

We would like to think that after Pentecost it was all rainbows and lollipops.
It wasn't.

Peter had several instances of major personal failures. God usually refrains from talking to us personally. He does it when He needs to. This isn't because He doesn't want to...quite the contrary. God wants the exile to be over. To be among us once again but in Heaven this time.

Peter was a "good guy" in a lot of ways but had "bad habits" like all of us do when trying to be holy.

These habits are understandable. I can explain but I'll need to make another post to explain them. It stemmed from having a caste based society.

Oh sure, Peter wasn't perfect after Pentecost. But he sure was close to God.

Has your shadow healed anyone lately? Mine never has.

A caste based society is a unique thing that we haven't seen in over 500 years and is almost an impossible thing to break the habit of.

In Jewish life there were the "12 tribes" (actually 13 but that's another discussion)
If you were a member of one of the 13 tribes you had a community that decided your fate and lot in life. You never had feelings of rejection or not being a part because you had a place in society at all times. If you were the "baker" or the inn keeper you had a definite role in society. Your "brother" Israeli would always protect you...they might be angry at you but you were always a brother who was needed to be a part of the community.

So long as you fulfilled your role as your father taught you to do things...your place in your community was assured. Of course you came to the "rescue " of other Israeli when needed by utilizing their businesses, farm produce, or products. They were always first choice when deciding where to purchase goods and services. You would always choose Gentiles last and truly bemoan that you had to deal with a Goyim(you didn't know or trust) for something that you needed.

With this sort of society you were constantly being told who you were, what you were, and subsequently that you belonged. "We need you" and "You are valuable" was the whispered tone of everyone you spoke with.
So subsequently you conformed within the parameters of Jewish life and lifestyle as a matter of habit. You simply didn't think of doing anything outside those parameters...it didn't really even come across your radar screen as being even the slightest bit wrong...in fact just the opposite. It was your duty to do these things because of the Law and the Prophets.

Which brings up the other half....

We tend to think of "worship" as something we take part in on a confined basis....where we meet and listen, sing and pray with others.
"Going to worship services" is always said by just about everyone I know....I'm sure everyone understands the expression. But Jews don't say that....ever!

God exists in and out of Time itself. God created time. These two thoughts are Jewish and true. However Jews believe that Abraham's relationship with God is crucial. They personally couldn't go to God to form their own relationship...and if they wished to share in Abraham's infinite reward they needed to be recognized as a descendant of Abraham and continue the same worship of God that he started. So everything that you did was worship of God. From the clothes you wore, the things you said, the food you ate, and the holidays you observed. Your whole life was an ongoing worship of God. You didn't even dream of starting a new worship of God because it would be so small that it would be ignored as a speck of dust by comparison of the larger worship that spanned hundreds of years. Your worship would be ignored if it wasn't offensive...which it likely would be.
So...this is the reason Peter had so many issues.

What I find interesting is that it didn't say how far Jesus was from him, but he still caught him when he cried out, God is always close enough to catch us, no matter how far we think we are from him and often we are in a situation that feels like we are hanging over a cliff and we think that if we don't hang on, we'll fall, but we wouldn't fall because we so easily forget that even if we did let go, God still has hold of us and he will never let go.