Don’t Stop Believing!
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:31 ESV
“Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'”
Matthew 14:28-31 ESV
If you were to stop random people on the street and ask them who walked on water, I’m willing to bet most would say it was Jesus. But I wonder if anyone would remember that Peter did, too. To me, that’s an even bigger miracle. Peter was just a regular human being, and he was able to perform the same supernatural feat that Jesus did — that is, as long as he kept his eyes on Christ. Unfortunately, as soon as he got distracted by the storm he was in, he began to sink.
I can relate to Peter. Maybe you can, too. More than once, God has had to say to me the same words He once said to him: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When Seeds Are Sown on Rocky Soil
“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”
Mark 4:16-17 NLT
Every time I read this parable, I can’t help thinking, Which type of seed am I? I would like to say I am like the seed sown on good soil, but sometimes I wonder. It sure doesn’t take much to shake me up and make me start doubting God. That sounds more like the seed on the rocky soil. And what about the seed sown among the thorns?
“The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.”
Mark 4:18-29 NLT
Yep. That sounds like me, too, sometimes. So, what does that mean? I think it means that we are all in danger of becoming ineffective for God if we let problems or worries get in the way. Even soil that is initially good can become bad if not properly tended.
As I was working on this blog post the other day, I stopped to take a break and read a few more chapters of a library book I’ve been eager to finish. Well, wouldn’t you know it, it ended up speaking to this topic exactly! Here is an excerpt:
“. . . the path you’re on is essentially identical to the path all men, women, and children of faith find themselves on. To be or not to be, that is the question, as they say. . . . Once born into childlike faith, brimming with belief, typical people begin to lose their faith. Society mocks them. Their friends smirk. They come to change the world, but over time the world changes them. Soon they forget who they were; they forget the faith they once had. Then one day someone tells them the truth, but they don’t want to go back, because they’re comfortable in their new skin. Being a stranger in this world is never easy.”
Ted Dekker, Saint
This is obviously a message God wanted to share with me, and, I think, with you too: Being sown on good soil is just the first step. After that, the real work begins.
Even John the Baptist Faced Doubt
“John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?'”
Matthew 11:2-3 NLT
Whoa! Really? After everything that’s happened up to this point, now he’s questioning who Jesus is?! The Scripture passage above is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions John the Baptist. We picture a wild man full of faith, not someone questioning if Jesus is actually the Messiah. But I find it comforting to read this. Because even John the Baptist — Jesus’ own cousin, the man who prepared the way for Him, the man who baptized Him and heard God’s voice declare from heaven that Jesus is God’s own Son — even this man faced a moment of doubt.
If even he struggled with doubt, why do I expect to be any different? We will all face situations that cause us to doubt God at one time or another. Questioning seems to be a necessary part of the faith journey. But the trick is not to linger there. John immediately took his concerns to Jesus, and in doing so, found the assurance he needed. The same is true for us.
“Never one to back down from the authorities, [John the Baptist] finally lands in jail because of his preaching. Knowing he is about to be executed for his bold proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah, he sends word to Jesus, asking this question: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ A little understandable self-doubt, perhaps, but he has to be sure. He needs to be certain he has the right guy. Jesus sends back the reassuring answer that he is indeed who he says he is. This is all John needs to hear. It is really all any of us needs to hear.”
Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story
She Reached Out in Faith
“Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”
Matthew 9:20-22 NIV
What if we’re nowhere near the level of John the Baptist or Peter or anyone else who seems to be so close to Jesus? What if we feel far away from Him? Is there hope for us, too? Yes. The woman who needed healing probably felt that way. She didn’t even feel worthy to try to speak to Jesus. But she had enough faith to reach out to Him and just touch the corner of His cloak, hoping for healing. And that was enough.
“Maybe all you have [is] a crazy hunch and a high hope. You have nothing to give. But you are hurting. And all you have to offer him is your hurt.
Maybe that has kept you from coming to God. Oh, you’ve taken a step or two in his direction. But then you saw the other people around him. They seemed so clean, so neat, so trim and fit in their faith. And when you saw them, they blocked your view of him. So you stepped back.
If that describes you, note carefully, . . . one person [whom Christ] commended . . . for having faith. It wasn’t a wealthy giver. It wasn’t a loyal follower. It wasn’t an acclaimed teacher. It was a shame-struck, penniless outcast — [a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years] — who clutched onto her hunch that he could and her hope that he would.
Which, by the way, isn’t a bad definition of faith. A conviction that he can and a hope that he will.“
Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment
Maybe we don’t feel worthy to come to Jesus because of the appearance of those who seem so close to Him. They seem so good; we feel so guilty. They do so much; we feel inadequate. They appear to be right on track; we feel completely lost. They seem so full of joy; we just . . . don’t. I’ve been there, too. Maybe you have as well. Sometimes all we have to offer is a lot of pain, a little bit of faith, and a tiny shred of hope. Thankfully, with Jesus, that is enough. All we have to do is reach out to Him and trust Him to heal us.
A Prescription for Believers
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances,
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
So, what’s the takeaway from all of these stories? I think it’s this: Don’t stop believing. Faith is not a “one and done” deal. It must be exercised and strengthened every day. I used to tell my college algebra students after teaching a difficult concept that while learning the concept the first time is hard, a bigger challenge is remembering it later. After we first accept a truth, we have to spend time and effort to keep it from slipping away.
I’m often amazed at myself (not in a good way) when I go back and read some of my journal entries. It’s not uncommon for me to pour my heart out to God, telling Him about my concerns, and then to write about how much better I feel after my daily readings seem to speak directly to them. But then a few days go by and I’m writing about the same concerns all over again, seeming to have forgotten everything He just told me. Thankfully, God is patient. But why can’t I seem to get the message?
I think the problem is that as soon as I start to feel a little better, it’s easy for me to get away from my journaling. I get busy and other things end up taking priority over my one-on-one quiet time with God. Once that happens, the old doubts and worries begin to creep in again, and then I’m right back where I started. If I don’t take the time every day to come to God, even when — especially when — I’m not in crisis mode, then I will keep repeating this cycle over and over, and I’ll never make any progress.
It reminds me of the warning label on an antibiotics prescription bottle: It’s important to finish all of this medication even if you start to feel better within a few days. Failing to heed this warning could result in the infection coming back, perhaps even stronger than before! Reminding ourselves of what we believe is like a prescription we can never stop taking, whether we “feel” we need it or not.
“Now Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. . . . Consequently one must train the habit of Faith. The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed.”
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
We must continually work on our faith. This includes spending time in Scripture and in prayer every day. It means going to church. It means practicing gratitude. It means facing challenges with perseverance and hope. And it requires choosing to focus on Christ instead of being at the whim of our human thoughts and emotions. Like Peter, it’s easy for us to get distracted by the storms of life raging around us and begin to sink. But what if Peter had kept his eyes on Jesus? Imagine how far he could have gone!
“Stop being afraid! Just keep on believing.”
Mark 5:36 ISV
As the stories above and this week’s Scripture passages remind us, don’t stop believing! We must continue to grow in faith every day, no matter how strong we feel our faith already is. When doubts or worries do begin to creep in, we can immediately take them to Jesus and He will reassure us of who He is and what He can do. And if we fall away, we can be assured that we are never too far away from Christ to be healed by Him. If we can learn to let go of our doubts and fears, we will be amazed at what just a little bit of faith can do!
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 NIV
“And now just as you trusted Christ to save you,
Colossians 2:6-7 TLB
trust him, too, for each day’s problems;
live in vital union with him.
Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him.
See that you go on growing in the Lord . . . .”
References:
- Dekker, Ted. Saint. WestBow Press, 2006.
- Frazee, Randy. The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
- Lewis, C. S. “Mere Christianity.” The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics, Harper San Francisco, 2002, pp. 1-177.
- Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
- The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.
Images:
- Watercolor Background in featured image by Supichaya Sookprasert from Pixabay
- Infinity Cross in featured image made with Infinity image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
- Wave image by Tú Thúy from Pixabay
- Rocks image by Silvia from Pixabay (edited)
- Question Mark Man image by Bev from Pixabay
- Woman image by Rheo from Pixabay
- Prescription Pad image by NIJAMUDDIN GAGGUTURI from Pixabay (edited)
- Tree image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay (edited)
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!