Walking on Water

I'm a little slow sometimes to learn. Not that I'm mentally slow, although one might be able to put up a good argument even for that. I've been reading the Word of God for many years now and I find that I'm still learning. Sometimes it takes me quite a few trips back to the Word for God to show me what I need to learn.

What I'm writing about today isn't really something I found in the Word; it's more of a question that grew out of my limited knowledge and understanding of faith.

What if I had "walked on water" as Peter did? Would I be different spiritually? Would doing something as unnatural and illogical as walking on water with Jesus have changed my whole course in life?

I'm writing this because I just realized … before Peter raised the lame man at the Temple, he had already "walked on water." He wasn't afraid of failure, or even looking the fool, even with things that looked impossible; yes he did sink, but he got out of the boat when Jesus said "come," which is more than most of us are willing to do.

This leads me to wonder … will I ever do great things for the Lord if I never get out of the boat, which is my comfort zone and walk on water like Peter did.

Would Peter have been able to raise this lame man had he not already walked on water? I know … Peter didn't raise him, God did. But it was Peter's hand that reached out; it was Peter's voice that said … "Such as I have I give unto you."

What did he have that we don't? Was it more faith than we have that made him believe or at least think he could do it? Was it because Jesus had prayed that Peter's faith wouldn't fail him? Did Peter have a special anointing of power that we today don't have? It had to be something.

I wonder; did it have something to do with Peter having already experienced … "walking on water" … or was it because he just went with his heart again without thinking as he did when he jumped out of the boat knowing … no … believing that Jesus would be with him and if need be would save him from sinking.

Knowing relates to a fact … believing relates to faith; there is a difference.

I want to look at just what did happen in Acts 3:6-7 with Peter and the lame man. As Peter and John were about to enter the temple a lame man asks them for money as he no doubt had done for years. Look at Peter's response to him …

"Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.' And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength."

I really hadn't paid too much attention to what Peter physically did after he spoke to the lame man. Notice the order of things …

1.) Peter responds knowing he has been given use of "the Name of Jesus" and all the power and authority that His name proclaims.

2.) Peter responded the same way that Jesus did when He saw a need; Peter put a voice to his faith and gave a command … "Rise up and walk."

3.) Peter then reaches out and takes the lame man by the hand.

Now here is what I didn't notice before …

4.) Peter physically lifted him up by the hand … before … the lame man was healed; before … "his feet and ankle bones received strength."

Luke states that it is immediately after Peter's action; the lifting up of the lame man that he is healed. The way it reads to me, the lame man was already standing before God healed him through the power that is in … "the Name of Jesus."

Peter, when lifting this man up, wasn't planning on him sitting back down … he believed the lame man would walk away … healed.

I guess James must have known what he was talking about when he said … "faith without works is dead" (or useless). Peter's faith wasn't useless; he put his faith to work; he didn't wait for the healing to come first. He reached out first.

So I go back to my earlier question, did Peter have a special anointing of power that we today don't have? Was the anointing on Peter or on the name he used?

I'm not sure how much, if at all, the lame man's faith played in obedience to the command of Peter to … "rise up and walk" … which he did after being healed.

Was it Peter's faith that he had in the Name of Jesus; was it because he had a special anointing; or did it have something to do with this fact … he knew that he had "walked on water" with his Lord; and to do that again, here with this lame man, he had to step out of his comfort zone just like he did when he stepped out of that boat onto the water. This was the same thing … an act of faith.

Was this just Peter being willing to step out, taking a chance that it might not work, that he might sink once again? Or was this one of those "God stop" moments we hear about when the Lord just takes over, when He just does it … it is … God's anointing you know. It's never us. Jesus just works through us.

A little later Peter tells the people who gathered around this man who is now healed why and how he was healed. Peter speaking of Jesus said it was because of … "His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong …"

When we use "the name of Jesus" as a declaration of faith, what we are actually saying is that we are exercising "the power of attorney" that Jesus gave His followers when He told them in Mark 16:17-18 … "In my name you shall …" and then He lists some things they should do.

If you have been appointed someone's power of attorney … when you speak … you speak with the total weight of their authority as if they were speaking. It was with this understanding of the authority he had in "the name of Jesus" that Peter spoke as he did to the lame man.

I don't know for sure what caused Peter to reach out this time to this lame man that had begged at that same gate for years. I wonder; could it be that even Jesus entering the temple as many times as He did, had walked past him without ever reaching out to him as Peter was moved to do? Beggars were assigned certain stations or places where they were allowed to sit and beg; this being his spot, I am convinced that Jesus must have walked by him many times.

Did Jesus give him only the alms, the money, what he was begging for, instead of healing him? Did He leave him for Peter to show to the Church and the world the power that is available to us when we make a declaration of faith as Peter did when he said …"in the Name of Jesus?"

I guess I've said all of this to try and make this point … When we are confronted with a request or a need by someone who wants us to pray with them or for them; when the request in the natural looks impossible … let's say "terminal cancer," how do we pray with faith when the doctors give no hope?

We need to do the same thing Peter did … step out of the boat, your personal comfort zone, right out onto something like water that you know is impossible on it's own to support your weight. When you start praying for the impossible … that's when you start "walking on water" spiritually.

I do want to tell you "reality" will set in. You will begin to sink. Reality … the wind and the waves that Peter looked at all around him caused him to fear and doubt as he was walking to Jesus. But he was … walking on water.

I want you to remember this one important point … Peter started sinking before he reached his goal; reality splashed him in his face and he took his eyes off Jesus. Even though Peter never reached Jesus; as he was in the process of sinking, not walking … Jesus reached Peter … before he went under and drowned. He will do the same for you.

I still can't help but think there was something about "walking on water," doing what is physically impossible that Peter remembered the rest of his life.

I still wonder if we would ever get over … "walking on water."

I don't think Peter ever did.