Little Faith

Mt. 8:26-27

And He said to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?

 

Jesus got into the boat with His disciples following. A great storm arose and the boat was in danger of being swamped. Where was Jesus? Did He know the great danger they were all in? When fear overtook the disciples, they woke Jesus saying, Save us Lord. We are perishing. Jesus simply rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm! The men marveled because even nature obeyed Jesus.

 

What a simple but amazing story! How like my life! I am in the boat with Jesus everyday. I know that He never leaves me or forsakes me: In truth, I know He constantly indwells me as does the Spirit of God. But on many days storms arise. Like the disciples, I often try and handle the storm on my own, doing all the things that I know to counteract the situation. And like the disciples, I finally call out to Jesus when the situation is out-of-control, and I have no other recourse. And like the disciples I am often amazed when I see the hand of Jesus calm that storm in my life. How foolish! I know in my head that Jesus is all powerful, and that God has ordained every moment and detail of my life before my life was even in existence. I know that God has promised me that all things will work together for my good, even those scary storms. So if I know all this, and I do, why then do I fear? Why do I try and be self-sufficient instead of God-dependent? I am afraid that God would say the same thing to me, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?

 

How do I grow in faith? How do I rely constantly on Jesus? I think my personal relationship with Him is of key importance. The more that I know Him, the more that I can trust Him. The more time I spend in His word and in prayer, the more I trust Him. Intimacy brings trust! Also, my faith is strengthened in the storms. It is in the storms and trials that I realize my weakness and frailty in comparison to His strength and power. It is there that I see His power at work. Thirdly, my faith grows when my desire is strong. If I am content to muck around in weakness and bemoan my state, then that is where I will stay. But if I want His power and presence more than anything else, then my faith will be increased. Finally, I must acknowledge that it is all of grace. His grace is my sufficiency. Grace replaces my self-effort, my works. Grace is the conduit for Jesus to have full power and control in my life. What a glorious God who blesses me with all this!

 

God,

Increase my faith. Send Your Spirit to warn me when I plunge ahead in my own strength and neglect to rely on You. Thank You for this unbelievable grace!!

In Jesus name,

Amen