Matthew 14:28-31
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?
Have you ever been to church and the preacher ask someone to lead in a word of prayer? Did you listen to their prayer? Come on now, most of the time you know that's what you are doing. You are listening and agreeing with their prayer unto the Lord. Sometimes you may find yourself readjusting their prayer for them, or applying it in a different way.
Well this morning I want you to pray. Do it right now! Take the time right now and talk unto the Lord. Listen carefully to what you are saying. Too many times is turns out to be words of habit. Like our prayer over the food we eat... "By His hands we are fed, thank you Lord for daily bread". Or maybe the bedtime prayer... "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep". Too often we talk to the Lord the exact same way we did the times before.
Our prayers change at times, especially in times of trouble. Oh how honest and true are our prayers unto the Lord when we are at thhe lowest point. It seems that when we are sinking in the waters our prayers are simple and straight forward. We don't flatter with swelling words. We don't add the fillers that so many think are needed when they are asked to pray in church or public. No, we address Him in such a way that it grabs His heart.
Do you ever think that Peter May have gotten into the rut of swelling prayers? It could be possible that Peter could have gotten into religious and legalistic ruts in his walk. We all at times could have this happen to us. But I wonder if he ever went back to the night he got out of the boat. The night where he walked across the water. The same night he had his eyes fixed on the Savior. The exact same night that he saw the wind and waves, and fear entered into his heart. This night where he was up on top of the water and now begins to sink. Notice what he prayed... "Lord, save me." He could have said, "Jesus, the Son of God, who was brought to this earth to save and redeem people from their sins... Please reach down thine hand and help a sinking sinner such as me. With your stretched out arm, lift me up from this watery grave that will soon be mine..."
No! There wasn't enough time for swelling words. Peter had no time to repeatedly call Him Savior, Lord, God, Jesus, etc... He made the prayer simple. And do you know something? The response, or answer, from Jesus was just as simple. Peter cried for help because he doubted and Jesus answered him by saving him and saying, "Why did you doubt?" It was like Jesus was saying... "Trust me, trust in me, I've got you".
Now pray again. Take the time to talk to him, not repeatedly or in repetition. Pray to Him with simplicity, direct and honesty.
