Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash
By Mike Chaffin
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31
We just don’t get it right all the time and need to have a question repeated. In the previous devotion Jesus chided our lack of faith and asked why we fear. This question is about why we doubt.
It is likely you have heard the phrase, ‘Step out in faith,’ and ‘He thinks he can walk on water!’ Peter did and did, until he didn’t.
To get the full picture of what is happening we need to go back earlier in the day. Jesus, after preaching and healing, fed five thousand men, not to mention the additional women and children in the crowd. He instructs the disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the lake. He sends the crowd away and then goes up the mountain to pray. Sometime after 3 a.m. Jesus starts walking to them. Meanwhile, the disciples are trying to get across the lake in a storm.
When Jesus begins to approach the boat, the disciples see Him walking on water and cry out in terror, “It’s a ghost!” “No,” Jesus says, “no need to fear, it’s just me.” Peter, never at a loss for words, exclaims, “if it is really you command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus tells him to come on. Peter walks on water, until he sees the circumstances around him and begins to doubt. He doubted he could do it even though he was doing it. Peter yells for Jesus to save him. Jesus reached out his hand and together they walked to the boat.
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:32-33
Like cholesterol that clogs our arteries, doubt clogs the flow of faith from our heart to our brain. Jesus didn’t condemn Peter for his faith failure but chided him for it. Lack of faith isn’t a sin, per se, but shows a lack of maturity as a disciple, or a lack of trust in who Jesus is.
When we focus on the circumstances around us instead of keeping our eyes on Jesus, we all sink. This happens even to those closest to God. Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah are prime examples in the Old Testament of leaders of the faith who doubted from time to time. Peter here doubts but learned his lesson. He went where God called. In Acts he recalls a vision given to him to go preach to gentiles.
Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. Act 11:12
Notice in the directive he is told to doubt none of vision.
Jesus confirms doubt is deadly in our prayer life. Jesus taught the benefits of praying without doubting.
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Mark 11:23
There is no doubt about it. Doubt weakens our faith and troubles our walk. God though is there to strengthen our faith. All we have to do is ask.
Contemplation: How is my strength of faith? Do I have doubts about God’s calling in my life, the direction I need to go or for the things of God?
