Jesus Walks on Water
One evening, after Jesus had fed a huge crowd of more than five thousand people with just a few loaves of bread and some fish, He told His disciples to get into their boat and go on ahead of Him, across the lake. Jesus stayed behind a little longer to send the crowd home, and once everyone had gone, He went up a mountainside by Himself to pray. Evening came, and He was there alone.
Out on the lake, the disciples' boat was already far from land. The wind had picked up and was blowing hard against them, and the waves grew rougher and rougher. The disciples rowed and rowed, but the wind kept pushing them back. Night fell, and Jesus was still up on the mountain. His friends were alone on the water, tired, and struggling against the storm.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus came toward the boat, walking on the water. When the disciples saw someone walking on top of the waves, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they cried out, and screamed in fear.
It is still dark. The wind is loud, and your arms are tired from rowing against the waves. Then you see a shape out on the water, walking toward your boat.
How do you think YOU would feel right then, if you were in that boat? Take a breath together before you turn the page.
But right away, Jesus called out to them. "Take heart," He said. "It is I. Do not be afraid." Peter answered Him, "Lord, if it's You, tell me to come to You on the water." "Come," Jesus said.
So Peter climbed out of the boat. He put his feet down on top of the water, and he began to walk toward Jesus, right across the waves. For a moment, Peter was doing something no one else in the boat had tried.
Picture stepping out of the boat yourself, feet landing on top of the water, eyes on Jesus just ahead of you. How do you think YOU would feel in that moment? Excited? Scared? Both at once?
Take a breath together before you turn the page.
But then Peter noticed the wind. When Peter saw how strong the wind was, he became afraid and began to sink. "Lord, save me!" he cried out.
Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," Jesus said, "why did you doubt?" They climbed into the boat together, and as soon as they did, the wind died down completely.
Jesus didn't wait to see if Peter could swim back to the boat on his own. The moment Peter called out, Jesus reached for him. If you were Peter, how do you think it would feel when Jesus caught your hand?
Everyone in the boat was amazed. They worshiped Jesus and said, "Truly You are the Son of God."
How to Talk About This Story With Your Child
It's easy for a child to hear this story and think Peter did something wrong - that he failed because he got scared and started to sink.
But look again at what actually happened: Peter was the only one who climbed out of the boat at all. For a moment, he was walking on top of a storm, toward Jesus.
Peter's fear didn't erase his courage. Both were true in the very same moment: he was brave enough to step out of the boat, and human enough to feel afraid once he noticed the wind.
The moment he started to sink, he didn't try to fix it by himself. He turned toward Jesus and cried out, "Lord, save me." And Jesus didn't wait to see if Peter could manage on his own. He reached out immediately.
That's the part worth slowing down on with your child: being afraid isn't the opposite of trusting Jesus. Turning to Him when we're afraid is trusting Jesus.
If your child asks why Peter started to sink, you don't need a complicated answer.
"Peter got scared when he looked at the big waves instead of Jesus. But the moment he called out, Jesus caught him right away and never let him go under."
If they ask whether Peter did something wrong, you can be honest that feeling afraid isn't wrong at all - even brave people feel scared sometimes.
You can also ask, "What do you think helped Peter the most: trying harder on his own, or reaching for Jesus?" Maybe your child will say trying harder. Maybe they'll say Jesus catching him. Both are fair first answers, and you don't need to correct them.
You can simply add, "Peter called out to Jesus, and Jesus immediately reached for him. We can feel brave and scared at the same time, and we can always call out to Jesus when we're afraid." And that's when this story becomes something more for your child than just a story about walking on water.
Pray Together
You do not have to use these exact words. You can tell God how you feel in your own words. Or you can pray this together:
Thank You, Jesus, for reaching out to Peter when he was afraid, just like You reach out to us. Help us remember that when we feel scared, we can call out to You, and You will never let us go. Amen.
This story, Jesus walking on water to reach His frightened disciples, is one of seven stories inside the Miracles of Jesus Coloring Book. Try a free sample, or get the whole book on Amazon.
Looking for more? Explore free coloring pages and more Bible stories from Little Faith Hands.