Often we pray to God and set forth our requests for His help in many things, but when God answers them, have you ever considered that it will take continued faith and trust in God to see your prayers fulfilled?
Many pray and fast for some aspect of their lives to be changed, but when God does start changing those aspects of their lives, they falter.
Simply because they start doubting thereafter when they face trials and opposition, with little faith that God shall see them through.
In Matthew 14, we read of the account of our Lord Jesus Christ walking on water.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!†and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.â€
And 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?†And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.â€
Matthew 14:25-33
Notice that Simon Peter requested of our Lord that if it be His will, to let him walk on water to Him.
Jesus Christ said “come”, and Peter began to walk towards Him on water.
Let’s apply it to prayer — when we pray, we pray that it be in God’s will that He answers our prayers and requests.
In this case, our Lord Jesus Christ answered Simon Peter’s request and the latter immediately got out of the boat and began walking on water towards Jesus.
But what happens next? Simon Peter saw strong winds as he took the first few steps, and he began to falter and started to sink!
This is akin to us also, that when we step out of our comfort zone (the boat is anyone’s and everyone’s comfort zone on water) and begin to walk in faith with our Lord Jesus Christ, that we shall all no doubt face trials and tribulations that will test our faith.
But be not like Simon Peter who faltered and started doubting when meeting the trials and tribulations, for when we see that he did doubt, he started sinking.
Instead, continue to trust and have faith in the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that whatever God has started in your life, He shall fulfill and complete it.
Someone once shared this with me — that having faith is alike taking RISK, which is the acronym for
Relinquish your doubts
Increase your dependence on God
Step out of your comfort zone
Know the miracle will come
How very true!
Shalom Aleichem.
Illustration by Gustave Dore, via Project Gutenberg.
Tags: Faith, Risk, Trust, Walking on Water
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Wow - this is so true! You have just summarized the past several years of my life : ) I have been reflecting on how easy it is to read a section of scripture and marvel over an individual’s, or a nation’s lack of faith… It is so easy to see where Peter went wrong in his walk on the water with Jesus, to be amazed at various points in Israel’s history where they failed to trust God, to wonder how anyone who had seen so many miracles first-hand could doubt.
And then I realize that I am no better. My life and the life of my children consist of un-ending chains - miracle after miracle - countless concrete examples of God’s faithfulness which I have witnessed first hand. And yet the moment I experience something new, I flounder in my doubts. Walking in faith takes work. It is a constant choosing to keep my vision in line with what God would have me focus on. Not easy, but oh, so worth the effort!
Thank you Isaiah, for once again reminding your readers of where our sights should be set.
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Thank you so very much for sharing too, Mic!
We all do flounder, as we are just all humans and always will have doubts. Sometimes it is not that we want to doubt God, but that we doubt whether we can carry the blessings that God has showered upon us through.
I wrote this also as a reminder to myself — I have always felt the calling to minister to others as a pastor but have yet to submit to that calling. I am very afraid to step out of the comfort zone that I am in now, unfortunately.
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Hi Sicarii, this is a real good post, I love the subject of faith that is why when I saw the topic in my blog list I had to visit and read too.
I wrote something about faith some 3 months ago in my blog. the thing is… Faith is something that we as Christians cannot do without, for we all know the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God, since pleasing God and obeying His statutes is the aim of everybeliever, one cannot do without faith. Therefore I pray that we all go through life having faith in God.
I was discussing with my Husband two nights ago and I told Him that… Do you know that for one to make it to heaven one must have great Faith, for you have to believe what you have not seen and hope to make it there (HEAVEN).
well we continued and we summarised with the fact that… Follow God, do His will and when you get there if there is a heaven you ve got nothing to lose and if there is nothing then you have nothing to lose (that is for those who don’t believe in God so they can belive and hold onto their faith) as for me and other believers in Christ, we know that our God never lies if He says He will do something… He surely Delivers on His promise. Let me stop here the subject of faith is very dear to me and I could go on and on.http://channelofhealing.blogspot.com/2007/06/faith-i-woke-today-and-i-asked-my-daddy.html
Godbless
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I think that sometimes it is not a lack of faith, though. Sometimes God in his infinite wisdom knows that something we are asking for is not going to be in our best interests in the long run. It’s dangerous, I think, to attribute not getting the answer you want from God to a lack of faith. Sometimes God is just saying “No.”
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Take Paul, for example. He prayed for God to remove his physical ailment, but God chose not to. Paul certainly had faith that God could do it, but God said “No.”
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Wow, that’s a great great piece there, Channel.
Thank you for pointing me to it! And I have learned a lot just from reading the piece.
Like you in your post I don’t think I am the most faithful servant, neither am I the most obedient.
But yes, you are absolutely right. Though we be unfaithful and not stay the course, God is there with us faithful and true!
Shalom!
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You got a point there, Casey.
Taken together, it’s quite a thing to consider, isn’t it? Faith and also accepting God’s will that when He answers our prayers, it is in His will, not ours.
I am still mulling over how to reconcile the two sometimes.
But at the end of the day, it all comes down to faith in God’s will, perhaps?
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I totally agree with Casey cos sometimes when we ask God for something that is not in His will for us we might get a big “No” that is why we as Christians when faced with adversity we have to ask if God is aware (we know God knowseverything) and if it is from Him (that is with God’s permission as in the case of JOB) and when it is from God definitely only prayers and faith in God will see the person through the situation.
everything boils down to God’s will for our lives, as for me personally I always get what I ask God for, some times not at the time I ask for it but at a time God desires that I should have it and I always shout Halleluyah Lord! for not granting me the request as at the time I made it… for find that God gives us what we need and not what we want.this is a post that could stretch ones mind and begin to see things from another point of view.
all thesame the issue of faith is a constant in a christians life.thanks for reading the post Sicarii
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Comment Correction:
“I should have it and I always shout Halleluyah Lord! for not granting me the request as at the time I made it…
meaning I have better use of the request granted when God brings it in His own time. it has happened so many times… that is not to say that God never answers me immediately I call on Him, as a matter of fact, He does all the time. but for the purpose of keeping the faith we must wait for God to answer us in His own time.Godbless
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I think the best definition of faith that I have ever heard is from Max Lucado, “Faith is simply the belief that God can do something, and the hope that he will.”
That definition has been so freeing for me. I no longer worry about whether I have enough faith, or the ‘right kind’ of faith. By this definition, faith suddenly has become a tangible and attainable thing to me.
Lucado gave the example of the woman with the issue of blood in his book “He Still Moves Stones” as an example of this kind of faith. Through the magnificent way he re-told this story, I gained a portrait of Christ’s interaction with our faith that I never before fully understood…
The woman reached out with a simple belief that God could help her and a hope that he would. And it made me realize that God ALWAYS responds to faith like this. Nowhere in scripture when someone has reached out in faith like this, has Christ kept walking. He always stops, turns around, and responds. And, since He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever, I know that He will do the same for me. His response to my request may be no, but it will because he has a greater purpose - not because I have somehow failed in my faith.
Anyway, just my own muddled musings on faith that I thought I would share : )
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ChannelofHealing:
Indeed. Yet I often get asked by both non-Christians and Christians alike how they can know if something that they ask of God is God’s will, and to which I find myself tongue-tied.
Sometimes I don’t even know, but a pastor said to pray and fast that God’s will be revealed, and to be silent enough to hear it.
Michelle:
Thank you for sharing.
There are a few others that I like a lot — that of the blind man who called out unto Jesus to restore his sight, and the non-Jewish woman who by her faith touched Jesus’ heart and He was moved to drive the demon out of her daughter.
God bless you both, and Shalom.
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