If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg - Book Review

God calls each person to live a life of fullness and abundance. He calls us to a life far beyond anything we can imagine. But it takes faith to step out into that life. It takes a certain measure of certainty that even when it seems as if there is nothing to step out onto but water - often stormy water at that - with no visible means of support, we will not go under and drown. This book addresses that need for assurance and why we can have it.

When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water that stormy night, he asked Jesus to let him walk on water too. And Jesus did. Jesus called him out of the boat and into an adventure beyond anything most of us ever dream of. And even when Peter became afraid and began to sink, Jesus did not let him go under. Instead Jesus reached out his hand and pulled him to safety.

This is the kind of life I want to live. I want to live a full and abundant life, I want to live with abandon, able to step out into whatever He calls me to, knowing that He will not let me sink and drown but that He will allow me to "walk on water" no matter how high the waves around me. I want to live in the knowledge that His love for me (and for each one of us) can be trusted.

In the final chapter the author writes "I strongly believe that the way we live is a consequence of the size of our God. The problem many of us have is that our God is too small. We are not convinced that we are absolutely safe in the hands of a fully competent, all-knowing, ever-present God."

In another place he writes "From this point on for the rest of your life, every time you walk on the water, each time you trust God and seek to discern and obey His calling on your life, your God will get bigger, and your worship will grow deeper, richer and stronger."

This is the adventure God calls us to. This is the adventure I want to be a part of.