Walking On WaterSample

Paul's Story  

PAUL WRITES: Peter is often described to us in terms of his flaws, but also has some wonderful strengths. Far from being a bumbling fool, constantly getting things wrong, we should honour Peter for being the one who often gets it right, not least in receiving revelation and grasping Jesus’ identity. In Luke 5:1-11, the disciples were cleaning their nets after a night of fishing. It had been a frustrating night, where they’d returned empty handed. As they worked though, Jesus commandeered Peter’s boat as a sort of mobile pulpit, pushing out a little way from the crowd. After teaching, Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). This was an unusual request. The nets would need to be untangled and cleaned all over again, after another fruitless trip. Fishermen want the fish to be active and feeding near the surface – you caught fish at night, in shallow water, not in the daytime in deep water! Everything in Peter’s experience must have screamed that this was a waste of time and effort, but something told him that Jesus was worth obeying. “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (verse 5). The result was such a large catch that it took a couple of boats to land it, and even then, they almost sank because of the weight of fish! How often do we need to listen to that little voice telling us that, with Jesus, everything we know can be turned on it’s head?

“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8). “All his companions… and James and John” were astonished at the miraculous catch of fish, yet only Peter realised the implications of what he had just experienced. 

With a scientific and mathematics background, I was slow to accept the miraculous, and still struggle to have the ready faith that Peter displays. In my book, Growing in Circles, I described a series of encounters with God that led to me becoming much more open to the supernatural. Encountering his power and presence made me ask why I wasn’t seeing more though. I began to wonder: was there a barrier in me? Surely, if he is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), then what I had glimpsed must be always true?