There is a striking contrast in the two readings: Moses in a very human manner getting discouraged with the whining complaints  of the people and Jesus showing his divinity by walking on the water.  Are we scandalized by Moses' impatience with the people?  Even miracle-workers and deeply religious figures like Moses go through the same kind of "bad days" as all of us do.   In a  strangely human way, that fact can be consoling to us.

I think it is more fruitful in our reflection  to look at Peter, rather than Jesus, and to compare him with Moses.  For, like Moses in the passage above, Peter goes through a crisis of faith.  For both men, the harsh reality of what they are experiencing is just too much.  They succomb to feelings that wash over them: for  Moses such discouragement that he wants to die; for Peter such fright that he begins to sink.  He can scarcely even keep his head above water!

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  Does disappointment with others, impatience with them, and discouragement  with  the burden of responsibility sometimes get to you?  It does to me!  Do fears overwhelm you at times?  They do to me!   Sometimes we forget that faith in God does not  mean removal from the human condition.  But, like Moses and Peter, all we have to do is turn to the One who is always with us, cry  out "Lord, Save us," and we shall be delivered from  all that is causing us to sink down into the deep.

For it is truly when we are at our lowest that God is closest.  When we are weakest, God is strongest.  And when we are most afraid or discouraged that God gives us the courage and hope we need  to continue our journey of faith.  We too can walk on water if only we keep our eyes fixed confidently and steadfastly on the Lord Jesus,  who tells us over and over again: "Be not afraid, I am with you always."