Peter may have been a screw-up at times, but he had faith and obedience when it counted most. Yes, Peter denied Jesus three times the night of his trial (Mark 14:66-72) and rebuked Jesus when he predicted his death (Matthew 16:21-23), but he also was able to take incredible steps of trusting belief.
One of the best known examples of this occurred in Matthew 14:22-33, when Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water, even if it was only for a few brief moments. Although he ultimately faltered and began to sink, he still trusted enough to move out of the relative safety of the boat and onto the tumultuous waves as he moved towards his Savior.
Another other example of Peter’s faith is found in Luke 5:1-11. For those unfamiliar with the story, Jesus was teaching along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and asked Simon (later known as Peter) to push his boat out into the water so Jesus could teach the crowds. When Jesus had finished, He told Peter to cast his nets into the water. A few weeks back, my pastor was teaching on this passage in our current series and he pointed out why this was noteworthy. First, fisherman work at night when they are able to catch the most and this was during the middle of the day. Second, Jesus was the carpenter and Simon was the fisherman. Chances were Simon knew far more about catching fish than Jesus. Yet here was the Teacher, telling Simon to try something utterly unconventional to catch fish. Yet Peter obeyed and pulled up the biggest, most successful catch of his life. The financial gains from such a catch would have been astounding for Peter and his family, but Jesus said, “ ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’ And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.”
After the best, most rewarding, and possibly richest haul that Peter had even seen in his years as a fisherman, he walked away in order to follow the Teacher. During this teaching, I was struck with the thought that I’m not sure I would have had the same obedience as Peter. If it had been me, chances are I would have gone to the market and sold the fish, then returned the next day to try and catch more fish the same way. In other words, I would have taken a miraculous intervention and tried to replicate it myself, this time without God. I would have attempted to do myself what is only possible with the Lord.
The past few weeks have been hectic: school, work, finals, and graduation have kept me on the go. This morning I finally sat down with my Bible and journal and came before the Father for the first time in several weeks. I realized that I can’t try to do this myself, with “this” being life in general, but particularly the World Race. I can’t move forward in fundraising, ministry, or missions if I don’t first leave everything behind and follow Jesus, just as Peter did. It doesn’t matter what I leave behind; not family, not friends, not work, not comfort, not familiarity, not material possessions. None of this matters when it comes to obedience to God. And ultimately, this path towards becoming a full-time missionary is in obedience to God’s calling on my life.
As I start to gear up my efforts in raising support, I am desperate to be rooted in submission to my Heavenly Father. He has called me to the World Race and I can’t follow this path if I’m not leaving behind the temporary and fleeting things that get in the way. So, as it says in Hebrews 12: 1-2, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith….” I don't want to attempt to do myself what is only possible with the Lord, but depend on Him for every step.
