Little Faith

I was on my way home from choir practice. The sky had turned dark and the rain was pouring down. Loud claps of thunder and lightning filled the night skies. I love a good thunderstorm…when I’m safe inside my house, but I am terrified of driving in it. I ducked and hollered with every lightning strike.

That ride home reminded me of the account in the Bible when after feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him to the next town while He went alone to pray. In Matthew 14:24 the Bible says the boat was “battered” because of the wind and the waves. By the time the disciples see Jesus on the water, they were so terrified, they thought He was a ghost and cried out in fear. Until Jesus identified himself.

But how could they be sure it was really Him? Peter knew. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (Matthew 14:26 NASB) Peter knew that if that was indeed Jesus, He had the power to enable him to walk on top of the water. So when Jesus told Peter to come, Peter was on his way. He stepped over the edge of the boat. One foot and then the other. His feet don’t sink below the surface. He was right. He was actually standing on top of the water!

But as Peter started walking towards Jesus, he felt the wind blowing against him and the waves lapping at his feet. And then reality set in. I can’t walk on water! Glub…glub…glub. Most people stop here with Peter sinking, about to drown because he took his eyes off Jesus. But if we ended here, we missed the story. We miss out if we don’t focus on Peter’s faith.

Yes, Peter’s faith. Not his initial boat load of faith that got him out on the water, but his drowning faith. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, Peter began to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus, but Peter had faith from the beginning of the story to the very end. Jesus even acknowledged that faith when He addressed Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 NASB) Jesus didn’t tell Peter he had no faith. He asked about his doubt, the doubt Peter allowed to grow bigger than his faith.

What good is a little faith? According to Jesus, way more than you could ever imagine. “And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6 NASB) Mustard seeds are small, only  one to two millimeters. To me that’s extremely small, more of what I’d refer to as tiny. The key, however, is what you do with that tiny bit of faith.

Peter may have had “little faith” but what he did with it was huge. He threw it all at Jesus feet. Not as a last resort, but as his only resort. “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30b NASB) But the cool thing is that when Peter cried out for help, Jesus stretched out His hands without hesitation. And let’s not forget that it was Peter’s fault he needed help in the first place. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus. He allowed doubt to take over. But as soon as Peter called to Jesus, the Bible says Jesus immediately reached out to help him. Immediately. Don’t you just love it.

Life is full of turmoil. What will you do when the wind and the waves hit? Maybe you’re in the midst of it right now and are already feeling battered and worn. Don’t allow doubt to minimize your faith. But if like Peter, you feel overwhelmed by it all, take what little bit of faith you have left…that mustard seed sized faith…and cry out. Cry out to the Creator of the winds and the waves, to the One who can save you from drowning.

Remember – God is already right here with you ready to stretch out His hands to lift you up. He’s just waiting on you to throw your “little faith” at His feet.