Faith

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November 9, 2011 – Facts, Faith, and Focus

28 And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. 29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. 30 But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! 31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? – Matthew 14:28-31 AMP

Peter was the rock on which Jesus built His church (Matthew 16:18). He delivered the very first Christian sermon (Acts 2). An angel broke him out of prison (Acts 12). But in today’s passage, Jesus calls him a man of little faith.

Consider the facts from this passage. Jesus and Peter both walked on water. It was not the dead of winter so the water was not ice. Human beings can walk, skate, even drive cars on ice, but water… don’t even think about it. We can drink water and swim in it, but walking on it is reserved only for Jesus, and Peter, for a few seconds. Jesus had walked from the shore all the way to the disciples in the boat. I have heard some people say that Peter thought he was going to drown. We all know Peter could swim well (John 21:7), so what exactly caused him to be so afraid?

The faith shown by Peter in this passage speaks volumes. He had faith to get out of the boat. Do you have that kind of faith? I can honestly say there have been times in my life when I would have said, “Peter you are crazy! It’s a long swim back to shore.” I have seen people over the years that, like me, were afraid to even ask about getting out of the boat, let alone take the first step. Are you one of those people? Have you been called by God into a specific ministry yet are afraid of losing the financial security of your job? That happens very often, because society has taught us to succeed financially and also because life in the ministry, as a stereotype, has few financial rewards. Taking a step into ministry is a leap of faith in itself. It can be accompanied by all sorts of fears and doubts. These fears and doubts many times cause parents and friends to discourage those with a ministry calling to take that step of faith. If you have a calling from God on your life, whether it’s into the ministry or some other line of work (yes, God calls people to do something besides preach), don’t let family or friends influence your decision. They may think you’re as crazy as I thought Peter used to be for getting out of the boat, but if they truly love you and follow God, they will be supportive.

It’s important to point out that Peter’s initial focus was on Jesus. Looking at Jesus, he walked on water. It was only when he noticed his circumstances that he began to sink into the water. His faith enabled him to get out of the boat, but when things got rough on the water, he quickly lost his center of attention. What about you? Do you lose your focus when the going gets tough? Are you the evangelist with so much lust that it has led to an extramarital affair? Are you the recovering alcoholic who started drinking again by simply seeing a beer commercial on television? Are you the banker who was overcome by greed and extorted money from your employer? Or are you the Christian, who has left the faith because you are out of a job, cannot provide for your family, and blame God because things aren’t going your way? If any of these describe you, I would guess that you have lost you focus on God. There are other circumstances that will challenge our faith, but our focus must always be directed toward Him.

You don’t have to be a preacher to step out in faith. It takes faith to ask your boss for a raise. It takes faith to commit to make a long term financial donation to an organization when you currently don’t have the money. It takes faith to raise a family and to be the kind of parent God wants you to be. And yes, sometimes, like Peter, we fail. But be like Peter. When he failed, he repented and went headstrong after God and never looked back.

Is your faith in God or something else? Is your focus on Him or is it in your own abilities and resources? If you have faith in God and you keep your focus on Him, it could impact your facts more than you know. You may not be able to walk on water, but I can guarantee that if your faith and focus are where they should be, nothing will be able to blow you off track.

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