Water-Walking Faithनमूना

WATER-WALKERS ENDURE

One of the most interesting things in this entire story is the reason that Jesus gives to explain why Peter began to sink: “You of little faith”. Really? Little faith? Out of all things to label Peter. Erratic? Yes. Emotional? For sure. But little faith? I am not sure I would have seen it the same way.

Any of the disciples who remained in the boat could have been said to have little faith. I mean Judas was out there on the boat. Surely, he had little faith. Peter at least got out of the boat. Peter took a risk. Peter stepped out of his comfort zone, and did something that was never done before. Is that really little faith?

However, Jesus here was not being harsh or dismissive. If we have a bit of a closer look at the context to this story we might start to have a clearer understanding of what is really going on.

Earlier in Matthew 14, there is an incredible story that takes place. Jesus is out with His disciples teaching the multitudes and healing the sick. As the day began to come to an end, Jesus decided to feed the people that were there to listen to Him. Now this was not a small little snack. The bible notes that there are approximately 5000 men there, not including women and children. Most scholars suggest that the number of people would have likely come to approximately 15,000 people that day. So, the disciples gather whatever food they could find, and out of such a large crowd, they were able to gather an astronomical 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The disciples embarrassingly hand over the food to Jesus who thanks God, breaks the bread, and begins to distribute it out to the people. Miraculously the food begins to multiply and every person that is there is fed, with 12 basketfuls of food left over. What an amazing miracle.

Now, it would be fair to say that if you were there and witnessed this miracle, it would change your life forever. You could never doubt that Jesus was the son of God. You would have such a strong confidence in Jesus’ power to heal, to provide and to save. You would surely believe that nothing was too hard for God.

Well, not Peter. Within 24 hours of witnessing this life-changing miracle, Peter was sinking in the water.

The disciples had witnessed this miracle first-hand. They had seen the bread multiply. They had seen the fish multiply. Not only had they seen it, but they had also eaten it. They didn’t just watch the miracle, they experienced it for themselves. Yet straight after this moment, we find them gripped with fear, lacking in trust, and hiding in a boat, ON THE SAME DAY.

Here is the truth you need to catch from this story. When Jesus says “you of little faith”.

He was not talking about the SIZE of his faith. He was talking about the STAMINA of his faith.

When you study this word ‘little’, the original Aramaic word that is used is the word ‘Zeora’. This can translate to the word ‘little’, but the word really has its meaning in the idea of someone who is young and inexperienced.It is generally used for an apprentice who has not yet mastered a certain skill. Essentially Jesus is saying to Peter that his faith is young, inexperienced, and not fully matured or developed.

Jesus’ comments had nothing to do with LITTLE faith, and everything to do with LASTING faith.

Matthew 17 reminds us that if we are to have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. So the size of the faith is not what matters, but rather it’s stamina. It’s the ability for our faith to last. It’s the ability of our faith to push through. It’s the ability of our faith to ENDURE.

Jesus wanted Peter to understand that if He could do a miracle for the 5000, surely, He could do a miracle for Peter. And that is what we need to understand today. If God did it for them, He can do it for you. If he provided for them, He can provide for you. Enduring faith trusts in God, enduring faith doesn’t disappear when times are hard, enduring faith doesn’t dissolve when the wind and waves come. Enduring faith keeps believing, from miracle to miracle, season to season, and everything in between.

And that is what water-walking faith is. It is faith that endures. Faith in-between the miracles. Faith for the middle. Faith when there is no answer. Faith when there is no hope. God is looking for a faith that will last. Not a faith built on hype or built on a moment. Not a faith that is fleeting. But a faith that builds daily. A faith that has deep roots. A faith that starts small, but a faith that grows, a faith that matures and a faith that lasts.

Whatever the circumstance is, we have faith. Whatever the season we are in, we have faith. Whatever the storm we are going through, we have faith.

God is calling you out of the boat, and into the water. Out of the familiar and into the unknown. As you step out into the promises that God has for you remember that water-walkers PIONEER, HEAR, DO, FOCUS, TRUST, and ENDURE.

I believe that God is calling His people out. The gauntlet has been laid. Are we really about this life? Are we really living as one called? Are we truly wanting to step out in water-walking faith? I believe if the church of today could get this, it would change the world. Today is not the day for mediocre, mundane, or average faith. God is raising a generation of people with mountain-moving, storm-calming, seas-splitting, ground-taking, body-raising, WATER-WALKING FAITH.

QUESTIONS:

1.Has your faith ever been knocked around or discouraged? How did you respond?

2.What is my next step in my water walking faith journey? What can I do to take this step?