How Big Is Your Faith?
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Matthew 14:23-31 NLT
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In the middle of some challenging moments, God recently asked me—how big is your faith? So I will go ahead and ask this to you as well, how big is your faith with God and how far will you let Him go with you?
I am reminded of a similar question from this well known story that Jesus asks Peter: why did you doubt me? Or what the NKJV says, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Jesus was constantly calling out people’s small faith which He does here again with Peter. At first glance, that seems reasonable, right? Peter didn’t trust Jesus and focused on the winds and the waves. But as I look at this passage further, I actually don’t fully see that because guess what—Peter walked on water! What human being in the history of the human race, besides Jesus alone, walked on water? And Peter did it! I would commend that as great faith! But that is not what Jesus points out. Jesus reaches in to grab him and asks almost softly, why did you not trust me? As if to say, I brought you all the way out here but you didn’t trust me to take you further. Brought into the impossibility but not any further because Peter’s faith failed.
I sometimes feel that way–that I am out on the edge with Jesus. Invited by him, I’ve accepted and have taken bold steps of faith towards destiny. What great faith, right?! But where I’ve failed and I think what Jesus is pointing out with Peter is that he lost faith on the edge. He was defying physics, any law of nature that ever existed, to walk on an unwalkable substance. I wonder if there was more that Jesus was trying to give him, perhaps an ability to walk on water that he would continue to able to use. The Bible makes an interesting point in Mark 6, saying that Jesus intended to go past the disciples in the boat—meaning, he was just causally walking on water to get to the other side of the lake. That makes it seem like Jesus had this ability that He used often. And was He was trying it to give it to Peter too? If that were the case, now what Jesus says to Peter makes a bit more sense sense, Peter lost faith on the edge to continue going, to accomplish more of the impossible. His faith wasn’t big enough.
My friend, I don’t share this to discourage you. You may wonder, if Peter couldn’t do it, then how can I? I am here to encourage you that we can do greater! We are generations into the revelation of Jesus with an even bigger mandate than ever before to reach the lost. We know what Jesus has done to make His name great and can have all the more faith when He invites us out on the edge. He is removing any limitations on the possibilities with Him so that when we are out on the edge that there is so much further that we can go, maybe even to fly.
