Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. Psalm 77:19 ESV

Once when I was a teenager, I was wondering what it must have been like for Peter to walk on the water, so I dangled my foot over the edge of a pool and put it lightly on the surface. Immediately I decided that his faith must have been a lot stronger than mine! When I read about God’s footprints, I am always reminded of that moment. Interestingly, the idea of going across water is repeated three times in the Bible. First, we see this when the Israelites were cornered with their back to the Red Sea and the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, God had Moses lift His staff over the waters and He sent a wind to blow till the sea parted till in the morning His people were able to cross on dry ground. With soldiers chasing them on chariots, this seemed an obvious choice! Then, forty years the children of Israel came to another water crossing. It was at the Jordan River, and this time they needed to cross if they were to enter the promised land. At the Red Sea, God parted the waters for them, but this time the priests had to walk down to the water’s edge and actually get their feet wet. Then, the water suddenly stopped flowing and everyone crossed. Though this challenged the faith of the priests, it was still a pretty easy choice for everyone else. But the third time we see God’s footprints is an entirely different affair. This time we find the disciples in a boat being tossed on rough seas on a dark night. Suddenly out on top of the dark waters they see someone walking across the waves coming towards them. These guys were all terrified. Then, Jesus called out, “Don’t be afraid, it is I” Sure we know that Peter made a stab at some water walking himself that night. What amazes me most is not Peter’s ability to defy gravity, but that he left an example for us to follow if we are to walk by faith with a God who leaves His invisible footprints in the sea!