And Peter answered and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
Matthew 14:28–30, LSB
Peter was not afraid when he first stepped out on the water to meet Jesus. He heard the command and stepped out and stayed above the water, yet when he felt the wind and his focus was taken away he began to sink. It is easy to let the things of this world distract us from the calling of our Lord. Life happens. In 2001, John Ortberg wrote a book about this miraculous event. God calls us to do things that we don’t imagine doing. If we try them utilizing our own power, we will fail. It isn’t by our own will that we are called to serve God, but in trusting in God and being faithful to follow His Will we can do some pretty spectacular things. I am sure that there were moments of despair in my wife as she prayed for me to become a faithful follower of Jesus. In all honesty, God has done a lot there within me. There is much that God can do when we lay our burdens on Him. Jesus doesn’t seek to bring failure in our lives by calling us to things that He can’t use us to make happen. He is the one who gives us the ability to succeed. Our failures aren’t often because of God’s lack, but our lack of trusting in Him and relying on Him to give us the gifts necessary either in ourselves or others God brings along. When we focus on Him and keep our eyes fixed we will find our peace.