Easier Said Than Done
Easier Said then Done
“But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
Matthew 14:27
Has someone ever asked you to do something that was extremely hard, thinking it was impossible? Were you convinced before you did it that you couldn’t?
Imagine walking on water or seeing someone else walking on water?
I think back a lot and thought about things like this. Changing a job because I was unhappy at one place. Moving somewhere. Leaving a relationship. Telling someone bad news. Having courage in times of fear.
These are things that are easier for the person telling you, than for you to actually do them.
Your response would usually be, “easier said than done”.
Imagine this - a storm at night, tornado warnings go off and then the power goes off - and your husband or wife says - everything is going to be ok.
In the verse above, Peter and the disciples were in a boat traveling across the water to Bethsaida. They had trouble rowing across the water - the stories vary slightly in the Gospels; one says rough seas and the other says strong winds. Maybe a combination of both.
In both cases, Jesus walked up to them on the water and said - “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid”.
Jesus walked across the water to get to the other side while stopping at the boat that Peter and the other disciples were in. And in one account, Peter actually told Jesus to prove it was Him by having him walk on the water. So Peter started towards Jesus on the water, until his faith weakens and he begins to go under water. Jesus stretches out His hand to Peter and everything ends good.
The disciples couldn’t believe it was Jesus coming towards them on the water. Even though they have seen Him perform many miracles in their presence. To believe in something so Holy is, well - easier said then done.
As much as the disciples gave up to follow Jesus - they still had times of weak faith. Instead of believing it was Jesus Christ, they believed it was a spirit or a ghost.
Strange that when something challenged their faith, they defaulted to something other that than the person they gave up everything to follow, Jesus.
Even crazier is that they had been in the presence of Jesus as an actual physical person, yet Peter still had a hard time believing.
We are encouraged to believe on someone we’ve never seen. We are asked to place our faith in someone that we’ve only read about or in some cases, that only someone else has told us about. Sometimes this faith is asked of us even as we are being told about it for the first time.
Easier said than done, right?
It is hard to imagine not having heard of Jesus Christ or the things that He has done for us.
I imagine that it’s easier to hear a story than to walk across the water in the middle of the night. We place our faith in so many other things; cars, planes, medicine, etc.
Our faith has eternal consequences. When we believe in Jesus Christ and put our faith and trust in Him for our life because He gave His - we have eternal life.
In the story of Peter walking to Jesus on the water, Peter trusts Jesus to start his walk to Him. Then his faith weakens and he begins to sink. Jesus then reaches out his hand to Peter and saves him . This is our salvation.
We put our trust in God by getting out of the boat and coming to Him. We believe on God by having faith. And even when our faith is shaken, He will stretch out His hand to save us.
Putting your faith in God is easier done than said. (See how I changed that?)
Enjoy the story below.
“But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:24-33 KJV