When Your Faith Wavers
“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to You on the water.’ ‘Come,’ He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”
Matthew 14:25-32 (NIV)
Peter’s encounter with Jesus, walking on water, was as supernatural as it was life threatening! He steps out of the boat and experiences something only God could do! How exhilarating! Can you imagine what he must have felt? But then, only a moment later, his faith wavers when he sees the wind and waves below his feet. Fear replaces faith, and down he went! Can you relate? How often has your faith wavered when you were doing so well? Well, if that describes you, you’re in good company. Take a lesson from Peter’s story.
What did he do when his faith wavered? He prayed! His prayer consisted of three simple words that were urgent and passionate. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” Peter’s prayer was the heart cry of desperation. He was sinking, and would have drown amid the stormy waves had not Jesus reached down to rescue him.
I think it’s really interesting that his prayer started out as bold and audacious. Peter saw Jesus walking on the water toward them while he and the other disciples were in their boat fighting stormy seas. Their response was much like ours would have been. “… they were terrified” thinking it was a ghost they were seeing. But Jesus calmed their fears and assured them it was only Him. Even still, that would have freaked me out! Yet, Peter replies, “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.” Now, that is some bold and audacious praying! Would you have prayed that kind of prayer? We often remember Peter as the one sinking and crying out, “Lord, save me!” But Peter was the only one of the twelve who got out of the boat! He was the only one who walked on water beside Jesus! None of the other disciples could add that one to their resume.
Then what happened? Sometimes, our greatest successes in life are often followed by failure. What caused Peter to sink? Look at the story again, “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” As long as Peter had his eyes on Jesus, he was able to do the supernatural: walk on water! He was simply responding to the invitation of Jesus to come to Him. Yet, when he took his eyes off Jesus and “saw” the wind, he shifted from a Christ-consciousness to a self-conscious fear that caused him to sink. Have there ever been times you were following Christ and He was doing something that could only be explained by His power in your life, and then it was as if your eyes turned inward, and you asked yourself, “What am I doing? This is impossible! I can’t do this!” At that moment it was as if a Divine connection was lost. The enabling power of the Holy Spirit was replaced by your own limitations, and your faith wavered! If you’re smart, in times like that, you cry out as Peter did, “Lord, save me!” That is a 911 prayer! It’s an emergency call for God to help NOW! Apart from His intervention, you’re done! Peter’s not alone in that kind of prayer. The Psalmist wrote, “In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; He saved me from all my troubles.” Psalm 34:6 (NLT)
Look at how Jesus responded: “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.” Jesus didn’t hesitate to answer Peter’s cry, and He won’t hesitate to answer yours.
Then He said to Peter, “‘You of little faith,’ … ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.” I love this part of the story. While some may interpret Jesus’ response as a harsh rebuke to Peter, I see it more as a gentle reprimand with a smile on His face.
When our faith wavers, as it will at times, we simply need to cry out to Jesus. “Lord, save me!” This is what the writer of Hebrews encourages us to do in Hebrews 4:16 (Amp): “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].”
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.