Living on the Edge

Someone once said if you are not living on edge you are taking up too much room. I am not sure if I fully subscribe to this but in principle our lives as believers are often lived on the edge. Many of you have lived on the financial edge where you were down to zero in the bank and days to come before the next donation would arrive. Some of you have waited on the edge of your seat to see God fulfill a promise he has given you that has seemingly been delayed. Some of you have ventured into new areas that have been totally foreign to you, not knowing anyone before you arrived but simply striking out in faith and obedience to God’s call on your life. Living on the edge is living in complete faith and confidence in God. It is taking steps of faith when you really don’t know what will happen or how it will happen, you just know that you have to do it. Our lives as believers are meant to be adventurous, faith filled challenges where we see God show up and do the miraculous.
Tonight I want to look at one of the greatest stories of living on the edge that involves the example of the Apostle Peter. Peter was considered to be a little impulsive in his behavior. He did not necessarily think things through before he acted and that is not always a bad thing because we can talk ourselves out of doing things if we don’t respond quickly in obedience to the Lord. Peter as well as the other disciples found themselves in a dangerous life threatening situation in which they were living on the edge. The story is one that is familiar to all of us and it is found in Matthew 14:22-34.
Matthew 14:22-34
22Immediately after this, Jesus told his disciples to get into their boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he stayed to get the people started home.23-24Then afterwards he went up into the hills to pray. Night fell, and out on the lake the disciples were in trouble. For the wind had risen and they were fighting heavy seas.25About four o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water!26They screamed in terror, for they thought he was a ghost.27But Jesus immediately spoke to them, reassuring them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said.28Then Peter called to him: “Sir, if it is really you, tell me to come over to you, walking on the water.”29“All right,” the Lord said, “come along!”So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.31Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. “O man of little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.33The others sat there, awestruck. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.34They landed at Gennesaret. 35The news of their arrival spread quickly throughout the city, and soon people were rushing around, telling everyone to bring in their sick to be healed. 36The sick begged him to let them touch even the tassel of his robe, and all who did were healed.
There are several things we can learn about living on the edge from this story that we can apply to our personal walk of faith with the Lord.
Jesus and the disciples had a full day of ministry. They had just fed over 5, 000 people and it was getting late in the day and was time to move on to the next destination. Jesus decided to stay back with the people for awhile and then went up to the mountain to find some quiet time to pray. He sent the disciples ahead of him. They were to travel by boat across the lake and he would meet up with them. The disciples did not say anything to Jesus about how he would get across the lake or when he would show up. Perhaps after seeing the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish they were confident that he could get where he needed to be by himself. Some of the disciples where experienced fishermen so crossing the lake was not a big deal to them. Everything seemed normal until the wind began to blow creating huge waves. The disciples were in trouble and it was 4 a.m. It was dark, windy, dangerous and there was no help available. They found themselves living on the edge of disaster. I am sure they were doing everything they knew to do to try to stay afloat and get to the shore. In spite all their efforts they were not making much progress. They were in a very difficult situation that was not of their doing. They found themselves in circumstances that they did not create but had to deal with them as best they could. They left under the orders of Jesus and probably did not expect something like this to happen.
I think we can all relate to the disciples situation. We at times find ourselves in circumstances that are not favorable, perhaps very challenging, maybe life threatening because we are walking in obedience to what the Lord has asked us to do. Sometimes we think that when we walk in obedience everything should work out and we will not face trying times. I wonder if the disciples asked among themselves, “What did we do to deserve this.? Somehow we think we have an exemption clause written into our relationship with the Lord. We think we are exempt from certain difficulties, trials, temptations, hardships, sufferings etc. because we have given our lives to Christ and we are doing what he asked us to do. Some may say, “I did not sign up for this!” The disciples had just experienced a tremendous spiritual high when they witnessed a fantastic miracle of multiplication of food. Suddenly everything changed and the spiritual high fled instantly when the circumstance were against them. The disciples were in a very difficult situation, their lives were on the line.
Many missionaries, ministers and believers have found themselves in similar situations. They have responded to the call of Christ and are obediently following him when disaster, tragedy and trying circumstances confront them. I think of William Carey who felt called of God to go to India yet faced the hardships of losing a son and seeing his wife go crazy and then die. I think of one of the first missionaries to Liberia who was surrounded by cannibalistic headhunters and thrown into a pot to be cooked. I think of a missionary who arrived in Guatemala and on his first day had his moving truck with all of his possessions stolen at gun point. I think of a pastor whose wife has been battling cancer for several years and is not getting any better. I think of believers who have been victims of physical harm and robberies. None of these people had an exemption clause that spared them from calamity and hardships. None of them deliberately put themselves into these situations yet they found themselves facing something that was very difficult. They found themselves living on the edge.
One of the first lessons we must learn is that we are not exempt from trying circumstances. We live in a fallen world where things just go wrong because the system is broken and we have an adversary who wants to rob, destroy and kill us. In spite of all these things, God is still in control, He knows exactly what is happening, He is not caught off guard even though we are often shocked by what is happening. Believers will face trials, tests, temptation and persecution. It is part of the process of our growth in the Lord and learning how to have victory over the enemy. When we are faced with trying circumstances we have to look at them as opportunities to grow in our confidence and trust in the Lord as well as opportunities to learn how to overcome. We can choose how we will respond and react and they may be the only thing we can control.
The second thing we see in this story is Jesus comes to the rescue. In our darkest hour and most trying circumstance Jesus is there with us. The disciples were at first afraid of what they were seeing. It was the first time they had ever witnessed anyone walk on water plus it was still dark so it was difficult to make out who or what was coming. This image terrorized them, they thought it was a ghost coming to add to their troubles. I am sure they were thinking it can’t get any worse than this! Twelve grown men began to scream probably at the top of their lungs! I am sure it was pure panic at this point.
They probably did not expect Jesus to come and even if they did, they certainly did not expect to see him walking on water. We have to expect Jesus to be there with us in our times of trial. He is there and we must look for him and expect him to show up. When we find ourselves living on the edge we have to believe that Jesus is right there with us and he is going to do something to help us. Jesus spoke to them, he spoke to their fear, the fear of death I am sure. His words were very simple and direct, “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus had things under control, he was walking over the circumstances not being pulled under by them. The circumstances were not controlling him! This is where God wants each of us to be. The circumstances are real but they are not more powerful that our God! For awhile there was a teaching that went around that said we have to deny the reality of the existence of sickness, disease etc. A person may be on his death bed but the teaching was that you deny you are sick and confess you are healed and whole. Jesus never asks us to deny reality. The disciples were in a storm, the waves were huge and they were scared for their lives. That was the reality they faced. But the other part of the situation is that God is there with us to help us overcome the crisis. We serve a God who is transcendent over time, space and matter. He can suspend the laws of nature, He can transport you out of the situation, He has the ability to change things instantly or gradually, whatever He desires. He sees us and he responds by bringing us words of encouragement. The disciples could now breathe a sign of relief, the answer to their crisis was there and everything would be okay.
The story now takes a turn because Peter for some reason wants to make sure that the person talking to them and who is walking on the water really is Jesus. The only way Peter can be sure is to ask Jesus to invite him to walk out to him. In his mind if this person really is Jesus then he should be able to take care of him and enable him to walk on water. If it was not Jesus then he would probably drown like the others perhaps were also destined to drown. You have to wonder what the other disciples were thinking about Peter. Why would he want to leave the security of the boat to attempt to walk on water? Is Peter trying to show off? He must be crazy!
I think Peter recognized that his true security was in Jesus not in the boat. He knew that if he could get to Jesus he would be fine. Perhaps he did not trust the boat but you have to give him credit for realizing that his only hope for safety was in Christ and the sooner he could get to him the better it would be. Peter did not impulsively jump out of the boat but he asked Jesus to tell him to come to him. He did not presume that he could do what Jesus was doing. Peter knew it would take a miracle for him to walk on the water and if this was Jesus he would be able to do it. Peter was not presumptuous. Presumption is an attitude or belief dictated by probability. Presumption is doing something without permission or prior approval. Many people have made grave mistakes and made foolish decisions because they presumed that what they were doing had God’s seal of approval but they had not taken the time to ask if they should be doing it in the first place. Jesus could have said, “Peter just wait, chill out, sit down I will be with you in the boat in just a few seconds.” He responded to Peter’s request and said, “All right, come along!” What an invitation! All eyes were now on Peter. The 11 disciples in the boat were probably fixed on Peter wondering what was going to happen. Were they cheering Peter on or sneering at him? The Bible does not say but these two reactions are very common. People of faith will cheer you on when you are taking a huge step of faith. People of cynicism and doubt will sneer at you and expect you to fail. I would much rather have a boat full of cheering saints encouraging me to move forward in faith.
Jesus honored Peter’s faith by inviting him to come to him. He was willing to let Peter do something radical to prove to him that he was really there and that the circumstances he was facing were under his control. In our times of trial, Jesus wants us to come to him. He wants us to reach out to him and believe him for a miracle. He wants us to depend on him and step out in faith to be given the wisdom or ability to do what needs to be done. Peter was the only one of the 12 who challenged Jesus to prove himself. Peter asked a great thing from Jesus and he was not rejected but honored Jesus by his faith. We need to be like Peter and ask great things of God. “Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”(Jer. 33:3). God invites us to challenge Him to believe Him for great things because He is a great God. God will show himself strong to those whose hearts are fully dedicated to Him. William Carey made this statement, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." Great faith honors God while little faith has always brought disappointment to the Lord.
Christ is honored when we seek him first and place our confidence in him. He loves it when we place our faith in him and ask great things of him.
Peter challenged Jesus and when the challenge was accepted and the invitation was given, he got out of the boat. It was time for action on Peter’s part, time to respond to the invitation of Jesus. It was the moment of truth for him. Faith has to have a corresponding action otherwise it is just words. We can confess and say we believe but the reality of our faith is seen in the actions we take. Peter started out fine, he took a few steps on the water but instead of gaining confidence in Jesus’ words to him he looked around and saw the big waves and his faith began to sink. Once his faith began to sink so did he. Perhaps Peter was expecting the waves to calm down and the lake to become like glass. It did not happen, the waves continued to roll and the fear factor took over. When we place our trust in Jesus our circumstances do not always instantly change. In this situation the waves did not calm down until Jesus entered the boat. If we are looking at the circumstances that are not changing it is easy to doubt or become fearful because we have lost our focus on Jesus and the promise he has given us. Jesus is the constant factor, he never changes. He always does what he says he will do and he is always there. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Peter was going down and he called out for help. Jesus immediately came to rescue Peter. He was disappointed that Peter’s faith in His word to him was small yet he reached out and pulled him out of the water and together they entered the boat. The disciples were in awe of what they had just seen and declared the Jesus was the Son of God.
As the Son of God, Jesus operated in faith in the words his father spoke to him. He was guided by his father and obeyed what his father told him to do. He walked across the water to rescue the disciples in obedience to his father who loved the disciples. We like Jesus have to operate out of obedience to the Father and faith in His word to us. Without faith it is impossible to please God.(Heb. 11:6) Living on the edge requires each one of us to have faith in the Word of God. Whatever He asks us to do will require faith in Him to complete it. If we let our circumstances control us we will always be faced with fear and doubt and we will shrink back. If we face our circumstances, tests and trials with faith that God is with us and is in control we will respond with the proper corresponding action and we will bring pleasure to God. At times we will fail and falter in our walk of faith but God will still be there to rescue us because he loves us. He is for us and not against us. We can always count on Him to come to our rescue.
When we live on the edge with God, we will be placed in situations where our faith will have the opportunity to grow. Many people do not want to be in these situations and avoid putting themselves at risk. They don’t want the boat to rock yet alone get out of it! The reward is always in proportion to the risk. You can live your life with a few risks but the greatest joys and rewards are for those who are willing to step out in faith and obedience to God to take on new challenges. If you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat! (John Ortberg)
I have had a few situations and circumstances that have happened that I had no control over them happening. I did not ask for them but they came anyway. One situation happened when I was driving a team to Mexico from Minnesota. We had just passed through Des Moines, Iowa, when the bus quit running. It was dead and we were parked on the side of I-35 at about 5 p.m., with 35 passengers. I remember the first thing the group did was begin to pray for God to help us. We opened the engine compartment, laid hands on the bus and prayed for a miracle. The bus did not start so I made a phone call to get advice from a mechanic and the phone went dead, the battery had lost all power and no one else on the bus had a phone that was working. I needed help and a Highway patrol car came to the scene. He let me use his phone to call a towing company to come and get us. The company said it had one wrecker and it was in the state of Wyoming and would not be back for 3 days. I asked them if there was another company I could call and they said no. The Highway patrolman decided to leave so we were stuck again. A truck driver stopped after awhile and he gave me a ride to a fuel station a few miles down the road. I thought maybe we had run out of fuel so I bought some and then noticed there was a highway patrol station next to the station so I went over there to ask for help. When I explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he responded in an entirely different way than the previous patrolman. He said this is an emergency, I will take you back to the bus and get help. So we raced down the freeway with the emergency lights flashing, driving about 95 mph! He let us use his phone, connected us with a church in a city not too far away and they came to get us at about 10 p.m. A tow truck also came at the same time the church came with vans and pickups to haul the group to the church. When we arrived at the church they had hamburgers cooked for us and fed us a wonderful meal. The next morning I picked up another bus that had been driven through the night to replace the one that broke down and we continued on our journey arriving in Mexico at the same time we had planned. Jesus came to our rescue through several people responding to help us. It was a trying time for me yet a faith building time for all of us as we saw our prayers answered and kept our faith in Christ to help us.
Another time I was with a group of 35 people in our bus at the border crossing in Laredo, Texas. We had been praying for favor to cross the border as you never know what will or can happen when you get there. Sometimes it is very easy to get a permit and other times it is a challenge. Well this time it was a big challenge. When I went to get a permit for the bus to cross the border I was told that it was not possible. Mexican law prohibited buses like ours from entering. I appealed to the person who made the decision but he said he was only enforcing a law and he could not make any exceptions. I just continued to pray and ask God for wisdom as it seemed like we were at an impasse. I asked him if I could talk with his supervisor and he said I would have to wait an hour until he came on duty. So I waited and prayed along with the group. When the supervisor came, he said the same thing the other person told me. It did not look good and it would have been easy for me to quit, go back to the bus and tell the group we have to figure out another way to get across the border. I made one more appeal to the official and stated that I had 35 people waiting in the bus who wanted to come to his country. I asked him if there was there anything else I could do to get the bus across the border. We had crossed the border in our buses a month before and had no problem so we were a little confused as to why we were having problems this time. When we told him this he got upset that someone else had given us permission so I thought our chances of getting in were now below zero unless there was a miracle to change his heart. He finally said the only way he would consider giving permission is if I would write a letter on the ministry stationery and include several details regarding our group. We used a photocopy machine to copy our ministry letterhead and I wrote everything he asked for and presented it to him. After reading it, he said he would give me the permit but only for the days we would be in the country and he made it very clear that the next time I was to see only him to get permission. Again Jesus came to our rescue and took control of circumstances as we placed our faith in him. We traveled on to our destination and had an awesome time of ministry.
Living on the edge is an exciting place to be but only if God is with us. As believers we will not be exempt from trials, tests and temptations they are part of our life and they serve God’s purposes. They are tremendous opportunities to grow in our faith in the Lord and learn how to overcome and be victorious. When we are in the situation we must first and always look for Jesus to give us what we need to overcome. We honor God through our faith in His word. God is pleased when we ask great things of Him and when he tells us to move forward we have to respond with the right actions. Our faith can increase and as it increases we will see God do greater things through our lives. Not everyone will have the desire to get out of the boat and attempt great things for God but those who do will experience God at a deeper level and see the greater works of God done through them.
Where are you tonight in your walk of faith? Are you living on the edge or has your faith shrunk back? Are you believing God for great things and walking in faith and obedience? Are you keeping your eyes fixed on him in every situation and circumstance you face? Is your faith growing?