Genuine Faith

“Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. 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 courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!””

Matthew 14:22-33 NASB1995

When I think about faith, I would like to have genuine faith. This is faith that is put into action without knowing the outcome. We see this in the passage. Peter had genuine faith. Twelve disciples were in the boat, but only one walked on the water. We fail to realize Peter’s faith only because his faith was in a place of the process. Faith is willing to step out of the boat even when you are in the process of growing faith. It is messy and often involves much learning, but we can't let fear stop us from attempting it. When Peter’s attention turned to the wind and waves, he began to sink, but all it took was crying out for help, and the Lord was there. The truth is, the Lord was there the whole time; Peter didn't realize it. Fear of failure will always tell us we will fail, but genuine faith steps out of the boat even if you sink. Faith, as a process, means that sometimes you sink, but when you do, your faith in the Lord grows because His saving hand is always present. Great faith is only learned from faith grown through the process. Let’s not let fear stand in the way of our miracle or assignment but let’s keep in mind the Lord is always with us, even when we do not see Him.   

Pastor Benaiah Snider