If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg
Week 2: Chapter 1 — Lord, If It's You
Read Chapter 1 of If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. Primary Scripture: Matthew 14:22–33.
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The first thing Peter does before stepping out is ask a question — 'Lord, if it's you, command me to come' — and in that small request lies a whole theology of discernment.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Ortberg observes that Peter doesn't just leap out of the boat — he asks Jesus to command him. Why is this detail significant? What does it reveal about how Peter understood the relationship between his own initiative and divine invitation?
2.The chapter introduces the idea that water-walking begins with discernment: learning to recognize the voice of Jesus over every other voice calling to us. What are the competing 'voices' in your own life right now, and how do you tell them apart from Jesus' voice?
3.Ortberg discusses the fear and excitement that come together in the moment of stepping out — what he describes as the terrifying, thrilling nature of genuine faith.
a.Have you ever experienced a moment where faith and fear were so intertwined you couldn't separate them? Describe it.
b.Looking back, what did that moment reveal about God and about yourself?
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