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"CALMNESS IN THE MIDST OF OUR STORMS" "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." (Matthew 14:28-32)Peter often gets a lot of flak regarding this event because he eventually began sinking in the waves through unbelief. But if we look closer, we'll find that it is more of a lesson in faith than it is in unbelief.You'll notice that Peter did not get out of the boat and walk toward Jesus until he was invited by the Lord to 'Come'. That may seem like a minor thing to some, but it is actually a major truth for all. Only God knows how many saints are out there today trying to do the impossible when He has NOT bidden them to do so. It is certainly true that with God all things are possible, even when it seems impossible to us. Now, it's indeed difficult to live and walk by faith when those troubling waters around us abound, isn't it? Yet, God has invited us to do so. We cannot expect to do the impossible unless the impossible is what God is calling us to do.It's also interesting to find that Peter is the only one that got out of the boat. The other disciples remained in the boat fighting for their lives while the winds of worry and woe tossed them about. No one even dreamed about taking a stroll during that storm. But Peter knew at that very moment that he could do it if Jesus bid him to do so.But the most important lesson from Peter’s water-walking experience is that he actually got out of the boat to go to Jesus. Oh, no one else can soothe our fears like Jesus. Like that wonderful hymn declares, "No one ever cared for me like Jesus." He is our comfort and our calm when any calamity threatens us.If we seek to overcome those raging storms that would cause us to sink and even go under, the only course of action that any can chart is to draw close to Jesus. When we draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to us (James 4:8a). But if we decide to remain in our little self-made boat and row along and toil every day in our own strength, we will falter and fail every time.Friends, when Jesus calls us to draw near to him, may we never let anything, or anyone, stand in our way. Remember, no storm can frighten us, and no wave can sink us when our Saviour is at hand!