When Faith Fails

2019-12-24

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. (23) And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. (24) But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. (25) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (26) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. (27) But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (28) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. (29) And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (32) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. (33) Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. (Matthew 14:22-33)

Our faith fails constantly. While Peter had enough faith that Jesus could give him the ability to walk on water, he did not have the faith to keep going. When His faith failed, Jesus saved Him from drowning. We fail, but through our failures we learn to trust in Him. He is faithful when we are not. Here are some points to take away:

  1. Jesus sent His disciples away. Jesus still sends us into the world today. He is with His Father, like we see here.
  2. Storms overtook His disciples. We expect the same today, as Jesus told us we would have trials in life. Jesus comes to us in our storms, like He did for the disciples.
  3. They did not recognize that Jesus was with them in the storm, in complete control. In fact, they thought He was a spirit. However, Jesus was aware of their situation, coming to them. He is with us in our trials, even if we do not recognize it.
  4. When Peter finally cried to Him, Jesus responded. However, Peter questioned if it was really Jesus, and Jesus affirmed that it was.
  5. Peter responded in faith. Peter believed Jesus. Jesus gave Peter the ability to walk through the storm, because Jesus is Lord over all creation. In faith, the Lord gives us the power to walk through the storms.
  6. Peter stopped walking by faith, and his feet began to fail. As soon as He stopped looking at Jesus and put His eye on the storm, He began to fail. We should expect the same when we do not walk by faith.
  7. Jesus saved Peter when his feet failed. Jesus would not let Peter drown. He knows that our faith fails, so when it does, He saves us.
  8. Jesus chided Peter for lack of faith. After Jesus’ demonstration of His power, Peter should have known better than to take His eyes off Jesus. Why do we look at our circumstances and think that Jesus cannot help us? These are opportunities to trust Him more and watch His salvation in action.
  9. Jesus put an end to the storm. All storms are under His control, even ours. One day they will end.
  10. Jesus is the Son of God. Everything submits to Him because He is the Son of God.

Our faith may fail, but “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).