As Peter walked on the water towards Jesus, what made him afraid was not the water, not the actual walking on the water, but the wind. Many commentators remark that as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk safely and unafraid. Once he became distracted by the wind, he was lost.

In life we have many different paths to walk, some of them potentially quite terrifying, but as long as they are paths that really bring us towards Jesus, no matter how unsafe or unlikely they may seem, we need not be afraid but resolutely keep our eyes on Jesus. Once we are distracted by something else, like the wind in Peter's case, we will lose courage and confidence, and then many things will begin to seem like walking on water, utterly impossible. Thus this story about Peter becomes a parable for life. It may seem presumptive of Peter to ask Jesus to let him walk on the water but his "Lord, if it is really you" raises another consideration for us: the desire for signs that God really listens to our prayer. Jesus criticized some Jews for asking for a sign (Mt 15:29:31). Rather than desiring signs that God answers our prayers, we should desire the grace to be grateful when God does answer us.