“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31
Dear Ones:
The Christian sees the invisible by the eyes of his heart. In the book of Hebrews, we find written of Moses: “…for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.” (11:27) This he did by faith. Practically speaking, how did he do this? In Psalm 91, we find written: “Because he has SET his love upon Me, therefore, I will deliver him.” (v.14) Here we find a deliberate act, a choice…and effort, of setting the Lord before oneself. We find in Psalm 16, in the experience of David, the same concept: “I have SET the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (v.8) We begin to see, and understand, by these verses concerning great men of faith, that they learned to practice the presence of God. As is evidenced by their lives, this was essential if they were to believe God for the impossible, and know the stability that they needed in times of great opposition, whether faced with their own inadequacy, or with the opposition of an unbelieving world, and Satan, whose objective is always to drive us from a position of faith. Faith is that which pleases God, a faith that “wavers not,” or doubts. (James 1:6)
The Lord Jesus’ ministry basically consisted in bringing men and women to faith in Him, and then educating them in the practice of that faith, in an ever-increasing, and more consistent manner. Why? Because faith is the key to receiving from God His life and blessing. “Without faith, is is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him.” On the other hand, “All things are possible to him that believes.” (Mark 9:23)
In Matthew’s gospel, we find the Lord Jesus feeding the five thousand. (Chapt. 14) Before He does this, He asks Philip where they were to buy bread. (Jn. 6:5) It is very important to see what is written concerning this question to Philip: “He said this to prove him: for He (Jesus) knew what He would do.” Here we have an example of Jesus having brought Philip to faith, and then, seek to take him further in the practice of that faith, even in the face of the impossible.
After the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus deliberately constrained his disciples to enter into a boat, and go before Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Remember that, as with Philip, so with all the disciples: “…He knew what He would do.” Again, the issue would be centered around faith. Jesus walks on the water in the storm. At Jesus’ command, Peter gets out of the boat and walks on water too. Unlike Jesus, Peter begins to sink into the waves. Why? Jesus was no longer “SET” before Peter. The wind and the waves had taken over his vision. When the vision of the presence of the Lord is replaced with something, either friend or foe, or circumstance, the faith will wane. Though the Lord is very compassionate and sympathetic to our tendency to doubt, He will never bless it. He has called us to faith, a faith that is deliberate, directional, and determined.
Christ is our supreme example of living by faith. He was deliberate in His choice to look constantly to His Father, never ceasing to be dependent upon Him. He would let no one, no wind nor wave, turn Him aside from “seeing the invisible.” Lastly, He lived in the perspective and expectancy of the Father’s “help” and “enablement” at all times. Ours is to be the same attitude, howbeit, unlike the Lord Jesus, we will never have a perfectly consistent faith. We have limits. And yet, by the grace of God, there are GREAT possibilities, even within those limits.
Dear Father, teach us Thy way, this way of faith, where we set the Lord Jesus before us, KNOWING that since He is at our right hand, we shall not be moved, but helped moment by moment. We praise Thee that You are faithful to meet us as we set ourselves to believe You, without wavering or doubt. We thank Thee, and praise Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love,
Dad