Jump Start # 1191

Matthew 14:31 “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

  We conclude our series on the questions that Jesus asked. This is a great study and it teaches us so many great lessons. A person could look at the questions people asked Jesus and how He answered them. These interactions reveal what was important and what was on the mind of people.

Our verse today takes place on the sea. It is early in the morning, possibly 3 A.M. It’s dark. It was stormy. The wind and the waves were kicking up a fuss. Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and he asked to do the same. Jesus called Peter out of the boat. He started walking, then he took his eyes off of Jesus and noticed the wind and the waves. He started to sink. He screamed out, “Lord, save me.” Then our verse. The Lord stretched out His hand. The Lord saved Peter. Then the question, “Why did you doubt?”

I can think of a few reasons. The wind. The darkness. The waves. People don’t walk on water. Fear is a killer to faith. The fear of the unknown. The fear of what others might think. The fear of getting caught. The fear of disappointing someone. The fear of storms. That did it for Peter. That was all it took.

Fear eroded Peter’s faith. Fear killed it. He was walking, now he was sinking. He believed, now he doubted. The same happens to us. It’s not walking on water, but it can be other things. A comment from a co-worker, an article on the internet, a criticism on a blog and suddenly we are no longer walking with Jesus. Doubt takes hold and we are no longer sure. I watched a Youtube video of a young man blasting some things I cherish and hold dear and true. He was arrogant, brash and without evidence. His criticisms made it seem that I am an idiot for believing what I do. All it takes is something like that to send one’s faith spiraling downward. For some, it comes sitting in a college class. A professor makes profound statements against the Bible which the young believer has never considered before. She looks around and nearly everyone in the class is in agreement with the professor. She begins to wonder. Maybe he’s right. There, in that classroom, her faith begins to sink. She doesn’t know what to think. She doesn’t know how to answer the professor’s charges against the Bible. This also happens when a person gets caught up in a moral dilemma. He wants out of the marriage but the Bible is specific about divorce. He talks to others. He reads some things here and there. Soon he begins seeing things differently. It isn’t a study of God’s word that led him to these new conclusions, it is a situation that he wants to be right, often when it isn’t right. He starts to sink.

Something interesting about Peter’s sinking. It happens. But two things take place that we often fail to see.

First, Peter called out to the Lord. He cried, “Lord, save me.” He didn’t turn from the Lord but to the Lord. When our faith starts to sink, drift and fall apart, it is to the Lord that we need to turn. Too often, we turn to the winds and the waves that created the doubt. We feed our doubts and not our faith. More internet articles. More books trashing God. More conversations with what is wrong with Christianity. It doesn’t take long and a believer has crashed upon the rocks of doubt. Peter turned to the Lord.

Second, Peter took the Lord’s hand. The Lord stretched out His hand and Peter grabbed it. That’s the key. That saved Peter. If we would do the same, our faith would become solid once again. Turn to the Scriptures. Find the answers, they are there.

Why do you doubt? I saw a show recently about Mark Twain. The end of his life was very sad. His daughter and wife died. Another daughter died. That’s all it took and Twain tossed any belief in God upon the rocks of despair. He couldn’t understand. The same tragedy is repeated today. Why do you doubt? Does a death of a loved one erase all the evidence about God? Does the sorrow in my heart mean that God does not exist? God is, if I am happy. But in misery, God isn’t.

Why do you doubt? How can you doubt? The evidence, the proof, the blessings are all abundant. We need to learn from Peter. We need not give up on God because the storm clouds gather and the sky darkens. Be believing—at all times. Be believing when trials come. Be believing when others scoff. Be believing when you stand alone. Be believing because that is right and you know, you really know deep down that the Bible is right. There is too much proof otherwise.

Poor Peter. The Lord didn’t let him sink. He was there. God is there for you if you look for Him. He’s there to pull you out of doubt if you allow Him to. He’s not going to let you sink unless you give up on Him.

Why do you doubt? Great question. Why do we?

Roger