Today I’m happy that fellow Mantle Rock sister/author Cindy Bonds is stopping by to share her favorite Bible story. Her debut novel will be releasing in September 2020!
Welcome, Cindy!
Today, I want to talk about one of my favorite Bible stories that involve one of my very favorite Bible figures, Peter.
“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 28-31.
If any of you have been in Sunday school, you’ve heard this story. Jesus walking on water, followed by Peter walking on water. Peter is one of my favorite characters because every time he speaks, you can hear your own voice saying the same exact thing:
“Lord, if it is you… Lord save me!”
Putting yourself in the setting, think about the storm that these men were all too familiar with. Most grew up on the water being fisherman, Peter as well. They knew the dangers of being in a boat while the storm raged overhead, the sea rose up in anger and the wind knocked at their sails.
With the rain and storm bearing down on them, they see a figure walking to them where they know there was no land. Jesus appears, scaring them to death.
Then Peter, being Peter with his courage and often obstinate behavior, calls out to Jesus, preparing to walk on the stormy water. In his belief, Peter couldn’t be stopped. He was a force to be reckoned with. He promises Jesus he will lay down his life for him, to defend him even to death. He later cuts off the ear of one of the men sent to arrest him, thinking he could defend his Jesus.
But, we all know how the story of Peter ends. Don’t you know his heart was broken by the way he dismissed Jesus, tried to deny even knowing Jesus as his fear set in. Here, we see the foundation of his fears arise, trying to give him warning of what’s to come.
On that sea, the howling wind, the raging storm, even with Jesus right in front of him, he let the fear take over. His eyes dropped from his friend, his Messiah, and suddenly, fear gripped him.
No longer courageous, no longer focused, he began to sink and fall, crying out to Jesus to save him.
Aren’t we all a little like Peter? Our hearts focused on Jesus, even during a storm we say, “I’ll trust in Jesus, he’ll give me strength.” Then the storm gets louder, rages on our hearts, our bodies and suddenly, our focus falls. Fear and pain sets in and we realize we’ve lost our hope.
Crying out to Jesus, we hear him saying, “Where’s your faith? Why would you doubt me?”
Maybe it’s just me, but when I read about Peter, I feel a connection to his heart. Like God put Peter there just for me to read about and connect to. If Peter, loving and courageous Peter can fail so many times and Jesus still loved him and lifted him up, then maybe, just maybe, I’ve got a shot too!
When my life seems out of my hands, I should feel grateful that God chose to take it in his. But most of the time, I wrench and pull, working to take back what I’ve already given up. Just like Peter, I see my Jesus and ask if I can join him, then I fall, over and over again.
Take heart readers, those of you that share the same lifeguard as I do. He must get tired reaching down to pull me back up over and over again. But just like with Peter, he loves me and asks me to trust in him, love him and follow his commands as if we’re the best of friends. And we are.
About Cindy:
Cindy Bonds grew up in Siloam Springs Arkansas. After meeting her husband Garrett at college and marrying, they moved to Conway Arkansas. After a short stint in OKC, they’ve settled in his hometown of Clinton, Arkansas. They have two children, Conner and Kenzie, and work as part-time youth directors in their church. Cindy has recently pursued a career in writing Christian Romantic Suspense novels, with her first coming out in September of 2020 by Mantle Rock Publishing. Visit her at cindybonds.com to learn more and read about the military veterans she blogs about.
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