Lord, Save Me! — TDW Kids

Peter Steps Out

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Mark tells us how Jesus came to His disciples walking on the sea. Matthew tells us what happened next: for a few steps, Peter walked on the water too (Matthew 14:28-33).

“If it is You.” Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Peter wanted to be where Jesus was.

Waiting for Jesus' word. Peter did not just jump over the side. He asked Jesus to tell him to come. Real faith acts on what Jesus says, not on a wild idea of our own.

One word. Jesus answered with one word: Come (14:29). One word from Jesus was all Peter needed to step out.

Out of the boat. “And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus” (14:29). The wind was still blowing, and the waves were still there.

Held up by Jesus. Peter could not walk on water by himself. He knew boats and water well, but that did not keep him up. Jesus' word held him up.

Nothing too hard. “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). Peter took steps that no person could take alone.

Then he looked at the wind. “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid” (14:30). Boisterous means wild and rough.

Beginning to sink. When fear took over, Peter began to sink (14:30). The wind had not changed since he stepped out. What changed was what Peter was looking at.

Whom shall I fear? “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). Fear grows when we stare at the storm. Courage grows when we look at the Lord.

Looking to Him. “They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed” (Psalm 34:5). Radiant means shining with joy.

The only one who stepped out. The other disciples stayed in the boat. Peter's faith was small, but it was real, and it took him toward Jesus.

Small steps count. Peter did not walk far, but every step he took was toward Jesus. Each step of trust toward Jesus matters, even a small one.

What we learn. Faith listens for Jesus' word, steps out when He says come, and keeps looking at Him while the wind is loud.

What to do. When you feel afraid this week, stop and remember one true thing Jesus has said in the Bible. Then look to Him instead of the wind.

Mark 6:45-52 tells of Jesus walking on the sea to His disciples. Matthew 14:28-33 adds what Peter did that night: he asked, he stepped out, he sank and he was saved.

“Lord, if it is You” (14:28). Peter's “if” was most likely not doubt about Jesus' power. In the dark, he wanted to be sure the figure on the water really was Jesus and not a ghost.

“Command me.” Peter asked for an order before he moved. He knew that walking on water depended on Jesus' word, not on his own boldness. Faith rests on what Jesus has said.

Come (14:29). Jesus did not scold Peter for asking. He invited him. Jesus is glad when His followers want to be close to Him, and He calls them to trust Him in new ways.

On the water. “He walked on the water to go to Jesus.” For a few steps Peter did what only God does (Job 9:8), because the Lord had called him and was holding him up.

Boisterous (14:30). “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid.” The wind was the same as before he stepped out. Peter's attention moved from the Lord to the danger, and fear followed.

Little faith. Jesus called him oligopistos (say: oh-lee-GOP-is-tos), a person of little faith (14:31). Little faith is still faith. It is faith that has let fear crowd in beside it.

Mark 10:27. “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Faith does not make us strong. It joins us to the God for whom nothing is too hard.

Psalm 27:1. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?” The answer to fear is not pretending the danger is small. It is seeing that the Lord is greater than the danger.

2 Timothy 1:7. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear will come, but it does not come from God, and it does not have to steer us.

Stepping out today. Christians are not told to walk on water. But Jesus does call us out of what feels safe: to forgive someone, to speak up for Him, to do right when it costs us.

Application. Before you step out, make sure Jesus has really said it in His Word. When He has, go, and keep your eyes on Him rather than on the wind.

The Hand That Caught Him

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Peter was sinking into the dark water. What he did next is something every person needs to do.

“Lord, save me!” As he began to sink, “he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30). It was a prayer of only three words.

A short prayer. Peter did not have time for a long prayer, and he did not need one. God hears even the shortest cry for help.

He heard me. “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). Delivered means rescued.

Immediately. “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him” (14:31). Jesus did not wait to see whether Peter could swim.

A strong hand. Peter knew boats and water well, but he could not save himself. Jesus' hand was strong enough to hold him.

A question. Then Jesus said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (14:31). Jesus caught Peter first and asked the question second. He wanted Peter's faith to grow.

A kind Teacher. Jesus did not tell Peter to try harder next time. He asked a question that would help Peter think about why he had doubted. Jesus helps us learn when we fail.

Back in the boat. Jesus brought Peter back to the boat. “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased” (14:32).

Worship. “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God’” (14:33). The rescue made them worship.

Calling on Jesus to be saved. The Bible promises, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Peter's cry is the cry of everyone who needs Jesus to save them from sin.

Through the waters. God promised His people, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you” (Isaiah 43:2). Peter found that promise true in the middle of the sea.

Close enough to grab. Jesus did not shout advice to Peter from far away. He came close enough to take hold of him. Jesus still comes close to people who call on Him.

The water did not win. The water rose around Peter, but it did not have the last word. Jesus did. Hard things may rise around us too, but Jesus is with us in them.

What we learn. When you are sinking, in fear, in sin or in sadness, call out to Jesus. His hand is near, and He holds on to everyone who trusts Him.

What to do. Learn Peter's prayer by heart. Pray it whenever you need help, and thank Jesus when He answers.

Peter's walk on the water ended with a cry, a hand and a question (Matthew 14:30-31). Each one shows how Jesus saves His people and keeps them.

The cry (14:30). “Lord, save me!” Peter's prayer had no polish and no promises, only a name and a need. That is how every person comes to Jesus for salvation: not with strength, but with a cry for help.

Romans 10:13. “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Paul quotes the prophet Joel, where the Lord is God Himself (Joel 2:32), and he uses it of Jesus. To call on Jesus is to call on God.

The hand (14:31). “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” Peter's faith wavered, but Jesus' grip did not. Our safety rests on His hold of us more than on our hold of Him.

Isaiah 43:2. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.” God did not promise His people that they would never be in deep water. He promised to be with them there. On the lake, the Lord Himself stood beside Peter in the waves.

The question (14:31). “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” The Greek word for doubt is distazō (say: dis-TAD-zoh), to waver or to be pulled two ways. Peter's eyes were pulled between Jesus and the wind.

Doubt and worship. The same word describes some of the disciples after the resurrection: they worshiped the risen Jesus, but some doubted (Matthew 28:17). Jesus answered by coming near and speaking to them (28:18).

Rescue before correction. Jesus caught Peter before He corrected him. Grace comes first. Correction from Jesus is never a sign that He has let go.

Psalm 34:4. “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.” David wrote this after he escaped from danger. Peter learned the same thing on the water.

Worship (14:32-33). When they got into the boat, the wind ceased, and those in the boat worshiped Him: “Truly You are the Son of God.” The rescue led to worship and to a clear confession of who Jesus is.

Watched all night. From the mountain Jesus saw the disciples straining (Mark 6:48), and He did not take His eyes off Peter on the water. The One who caught Peter still watches over His people.

Application. Faith that wavers is not hopeless. Bring your little faith to Jesus and call on Him. He holds on to those who belong to Him, even when their grip is weak.

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