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Peter was in a storm-tossed boat when he saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter thought that if Jesus would just call him, he would be able to walk on the water too. Jesus calls, but Peter still had to decide to step out of the boat. Thinking Jesus might give him the ability to walk on water is one thing, but it was quite another matter for Peter to actually trust Jesus would give him the ability. But the only way Peter is able to know is to step out of the boat. If his trust is well-placed, he will know for certain Jesus can do it. If his trust is ill-placed, then he will end up floundering in the water. Peter’s step from the boat – the moment he put all his weight on the water – was a moment of no return. He would either sink or, not swim, but walk with Jesus. But note that Peter didn’t just jump out of the boat; he waited for Jesus to call him out of the boat. And then his obedience put him in a place where his faith became real. When Peter stepped out of the storm-tossed boat and onto the water, where was the safest place to be? In the boat or in the arms of Jesus? The answer, of course, is Jesus, and for a brief time, Peter saw that. Right then he got a glimpse of what it is like to intimately trust Jesus and what it is like to operate within the realm of costly grace as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. And we get a glimpse of that too. We see that following Jesus requires us to step into apparent insecurity in order to find true security. In the alleged insecurity of discipleship, we experience the gift of Christ and are enveloped in the grace of God. It’s a paradox of faith: Our first step of faith places us in a position where faith becomes possible. By our obedience, we learn to be faithful. If we refuse to follow, we never learn how to obediently believe. We stay stuck in the shallow end of faith, trusting in ourselves, living by sight and not by faith .“Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it? How can you be so foolish! You began by God's Spirit; do you now want to finish by your own power? Did all your experience mean nothing at all? Surely it meant something! Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it?” Galatians 3:2-5 (TEV)