Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

                                                                                                               Matthew 14:28-33

Today: Read Matthew 14

Happy Valentine’s Day! For those reading through the gospel of Matthew in February, this marks the halfway point in your journey. Congratulations! Today we will look at, what I consider, two of the most important principles for believers who desire to experience fullness in the Christian life.

Principle #1: Be bold in asking!

The Bible instructs us to “Be anxious about nothing and pray about everything, letting our requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Jesus teaches us to be continually asking and assures us that everyone who asks receives (Matthew 7:7-8). In our passage today, we see Jesus walking on the water. At first, the disciples are frightened, and why wouldn’t they be. A man walking on water isn’t exactly the norm for life as we know it. Peter, still questioning whether or not it is Jesus, makes a bold request, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And Jesus said, “Come!”

Consider what is being asked of Jesus. Peter wants to do the same thing that Christ Himself was doing, and Jesus was perfectly willing to include Him in the activity. I love that about God! The Bible tells us that sometimes God may not answer us because we are asking for selfish reasons (James 4:3), but scripture also informs us that we can live in want simply because we do not ask (James 4:2). If Peter had never asked, he probably would have never walked on the water. But He did walk on water because he asked! Be bold in your asking. Even when you think that God doesn’t care about a particular issue in your life or feel that God would never answer, ask anyway, and ask boldly!

Principle #2: Ask with faith, eliminating any doubt!

This is an incredibly important aspect of our prayer life. Our faith will usually not be tested in answering the question, “Can God answer this prayer?” To my knowledge, I have never met a Christian that believes God is limited in His power or ability to answer us. Our faith will usually be tested in answering the question, “Will God answer this prayer?” We know He can, but do we believe that He will? This is the true test of faith. Consider the following:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting…

                                                                                                            James 1:5-6a 

God gives generously to all without reproach. This means that God is pleased to give to those who ask and He doesn’t find fault or blame in our asking, for He knows what we need even before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). But we must ask in faith! This is a major principle in understanding how God distributes wisdom or anything else for which we might ask. Doubt must be left out of this process. Consider the following description of those that doubt:

…for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

                                                                                                                 James 1:6b-8

Faith is the currency we use in bringing our requests to our heavenly Father. The one who doubts is described as double-minded (literally two-souled) and unstable in all his/her ways. In addition, the Bible states that this person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Faith is the key. This concept is illustrated all throughout the gospels. For the centurion, Jesus says, “Go, it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very moment (Matthew 8:13). For the woman with a hemorrhage, Jesus says, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well (Matthew 9:22). For the blind men, Jesus says, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened (Matthew 9:29-30). In each instance, Jesus acted on their behalf and indicated that the result was in accordance with their faith.

So let’s conclude with our friend Peter. Upon Peter’s request to walk on the water, Jesus said, “Come!” For a moment Peter was doing great. Then he saw what was really happening around him and begin to sink and Jesus rescued him. Then Jesus identifies the root of Peter’s problem, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Do you see what’s happening here? Peter’s request was bold and daring. Jesus’ response was one of willingness to allow Peter his request. The request was birthed into reality and Peter defied the laws of physics. However, distraction led to a waning of Peter’s faith and gave rise to his doubt. And what was the result? He began to sink.

As Christians, we are sons and daughters of God. We are heirs to His kingdom. Our requests should reflect those realities. Consider exercising these two principles in your life this week. Be bold in your asking, eliminate any doubt, and by all means, ask with faith!

Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

                                                                                                                   Mark 11:23-24