FailureSample

Failure of Doubt

“All the persons of faith I know are sinners, doubters, uneven performers. We are secure not because we are sure of ourselves but because we trust that God is sure of us.” — Eugene Peterson

Have you ever had the courage to take a risk, and the moment you took that first step, you noticed how significant the risk was? How troubling were the waters? And you began to sink in doubt?

This is what Peter faced in this passage of Scripture. He had a moment of courage and trusted God, but the waves seemed so high, the wind was so strong, and the risk seemed so overwhelming that he began to doubt.

Peter failed to trust and believe Jesus fully. If we are honest, we can find ourselves in this place. We doubt our callings! We doubt the business venture we set out to do. We doubt that God truly loves us. We doubt the love of others. We doubt family and friends.

Doubt is a trap that sinks us. When we doubt, we believe we are saving ourselves but we are drowning.

The Apostle James said, “…Ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6 ESV).

So how do we overcome and learn from the failure of doubt?

Keep your eyes on Jesus! Did Peter’s doubt doom him to drowning? Of course not! Jesus had his back.

We will all struggle with doubt and may fail at times worse than others. But we must keep our eyes on Him!

It was Jesus who called Peter out of the boat. He’s calling you out of your boat as well. Will you keep your eyes on Him?

Keep moving forward! A small seed of doubt in our life can paralyze us. We pause! We hesitate. But God is calling us all to continue moving forward. Any step toward God is a good step, even if it seems like we are drowning in doubt.

God believes in us more than we will ever know, and this is the confidence that comes from believing in Jesus.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I have doubted you many times.

I have sunk beneath the waters, but you have always saved me.

Help me to keep my eyes on you every day.

I believe in you! I trust in you! Amen