Service: C3 Destiny Church, Sunday 11 October 2026
Key scriptures: Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:48; Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10; 2 Corinthians 10:5
Watch the message on YouTube
Summary
This message was about how faith produces a reliance on God, especially when we’re doing what He asked and still find ourselves in a storm.
It’s easy to rely on God when life runs smoothly. But many of us have been in seasons where we prayed, obeyed and followed God’s leading, and still faced wind, resistance and opposition. That’s exactly where the disciples were in Matthew 14, the story of Peter walking on water.
Obedience doesn’t exempt us from storms. Straight after feeding the five thousand, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him. He gave them the destination, not a promise of calm water. Like someone who decides to start tithing and then watches every appliance break down, we can think difficulty means we’ve missed God. Often it’s confirmation that we’re right where He wants us. The Bible never promises easy, but it does promise His presence.
Jesus sees you even when you can’t see Him. Jesus was alone on the mountainside praying, and the disciples couldn’t see Him. But Mark 6:48 says He saw them straining at the oars in the dark. God sees every struggle, every tear and every sleepless night. The disciples, several of them seasoned fishermen, weren’t panicking; they kept rowing. If you’re tired but still serving, praying and believing, that’s not failure, it’s faithfulness.
Fear often comes through the unexpected. The wind and waves didn’t scare the disciples, but a figure walking on the water did. Fear loves the unexpected: the diagnosis, the phone call, the bill in the letterbox. Yet Jesus spoke before He calmed anything: “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” He calms our hearts before He calms our circumstances. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s choosing faith while fear is present. God has always said the same thing through His Word (Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, John 14:27), so we need to be reading it.
Faith focuses on Jesus; fear focuses on the problem. At one word, “Come,” Peter stepped out and did the impossible. The storm didn’t change; his focus did. When he looked at the wind, he began to sink. Whatever captures your attention will shape your faith, so we take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and turn back to Jesus. The speaker shared how they once dreaded the letterbox because of bills they couldn’t pay, but God never let them down.
His hand is always ready. When Peter cried out, Jesus immediately reached out and caught him, with no lecture. He asked why Peter doubted, never why he got out of the boat. When Jesus climbed into the boat the wind stopped, and the disciples worshipped Him as the Son of God.
The message closed with an encouragement to look up, keep your eyes on Jesus and not let fear have the final word, because the same Jesus who sends you sees you, comes to you and reaches for you. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, so stay in it. There was an invitation to receive Jesus and know His peace in every storm.
Five questions for reflection
- Jesus ‘made’ the disciples get in the boat, and they still met a storm. Have you ever faced opposition right after obeying God? How did it affect your faith?
- Mark 6:48 says Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars. What difference does it make to know Jesus sees your current struggle?
- Jesus said ‘Take courage, it is I, don’t be afraid’ before calming the storm. Which scripture helps you choose faith while fear is still present?
- Peter began to sink when his focus shifted to the wind. What ‘wind’ most easily pulls your attention away from Jesus, and how can you take those thoughts captive?
- Jesus didn’t criticise Peter for stepping out of the boat. Where might God be inviting you to step out in faith right now?