Editor's Note: The newest member of the NRT staff is a talented young writer by the name of Caitlin Lassiter. Today we're introducing her as a part of a tandem writing team of her and Mark Ryan for the "Life Beyond the Lyrics" column. Enjoy!

"You make me brave / You make me brave / You call me out beyond the shore into the waves / You make me brave / You make me brave / no fear can hinder now the promises You've made."
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Peter and Jesus walking on the water. It's one of the strongest depictions of faith ever shown.

As Jesus walks towards him on the water, He gives him a challenge to walk on the water as well. Instead of ignoring the call and backing away, Peter steps out of his boat and steps into the uncertainty of the water. Sure enough, he stays steady.... Until he takes his eyes off Jesus. Once he looks away, he begins to sink - his only rescue found in calling out to Jesus to save him.

I guess why I love this story so much is because it's a perfect parallel to our lives as followers of Christ. When we say yes to Jesus, we say no to ourselves - which means we have to abandon our plans and chase after His with our whole being. It's not easy.... in fact, God even told us it would be difficult. Honestly pursuing the heart of the Father means going with Him anywhere, anytime, and=C2=A0any way. Which is bound to lead us to a few oceans.

Oceans that will scare us because we don't want to leave our boat of comfort and security. Oceans that will test our faith in believing God will catch us when we jump. Oceans that are uncertain, unsure, and uncomfortable.

Just like Jesus put the challenge before Peter to step out and come to Him, so He sets a challenge in front of us to leave behind our safety and walk on the water. Sure, it's dangerous. Because what if you step out and He doesn't catch you and you just crash and burn and make a mess?

That, my friends, is where faith comes into play.

As Francis Chan so plainly puts it, "God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through." We are called to live lives that are full of risk taking and leaps of faith, because then and only then can we truly get the attention off us and onto Him.

When we do something safe and succeed at it, it's easy for people to give us the praise. But when we do something so crazy that there's no possible way it could work out, and it does, it's plain to see that it was God working through us and not us in ourselves.

When we take risks, trusting in Him to meet all our needs, the unbelieving world can see His provision and goodness so clearly that it's unmistakable.

May we have the courage to step out in faith and walk upon even the most uncertain of waters. May we have the strength to believe that when we trust Him, He won't fail us. And may we always remember that no matter the size of the ocean He asks us to walk, He makes us brave.