When Our Faith Is Tested

by Monica Hernandez
Published December 5, 2005

"Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water...O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:28, 31).

When Peter put the Lord to the test, asking Him to bid him to come to Him on the water, he did not realize that the scenario would be a test of his faith. And when Peter started walking on the water toward Jesus and saw the fierceness of the wind, he was afraid and began to sink.

Jesus upbraided him, saying: "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" This clearly illustrates that "little faith" and doubt go together, also that "doubt" with its companion "fear" are both opposite to "faith" or "trust in the ever-living God."

God births in our hearts desires for the seemingly impossible when He wants to prove to us that "with Him all things are possible..." And His proof to us always shows up first as a test of our faith. He tests our faith in many ways, for example, in our finances, our supply, our health and things of importance to us. And passing the test always requires faith and trust in Him.

Our faith is tested when God either asks us to do something that is hard for us to do or announces a word of knowledge that is hard for us to believe. So it was when He announced to Abraham that his wife, Sarah would have a son. Sarah laughed within herself, thinking it was physically impossible but the Scriptures say that "nothing is too hard for the Lord."

The power of God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and He is continually challenging us to attempt the impossible so that we may expand our horizons, not only for our fulfillment but primarily for His glory. When God tests our faith we can be sure there is a blessing to follow.

Again, let us consider Peter. Can you imagine what was going on in Peter's thoughts as he attempted to walk on the water? Most likely, he was saying: "I can!" "Can I?" "No, I can't!"

We do pretty much the same thing when embarking on a risky situation. Maybe there is a constructive project we want to undertake. We may start off believing, saying: "I can!" but when we allow our focus to be shifted from God and listen to gossiping tongues, and negative advice, we might quickly say: "Can I?" Then most likely say: "No, I can't---because if I do this or that, then thus and such will happen and I cannot deal with that."

What can we learn from Peter’s actions? We can learn not to take our focus off God, our Source. When we keep our focus on Him, the threatening winds become bearable but when we shift our focus, those winds become even more boisterous to us and we are most liable to sink.

Peter’s attempt of "walking on water" speaks to us today of "attempting the seemingly impossible" in our lives. When we take our focus off the Lord, we become negative and will most likely begin to sink, but if we, like Peter, quickly shift our focus back to the Lord, crying for help, He will save us.

When you step out to "attempt the seemingly impossible," are you afraid of failure? When you see the raging waters of life, and hear the boisterous winds, are you afraid of sinking? If you have faith in God, and cry out to Him, you cannot fail, for the Scriptures tell us: "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).

At Mark 11:19-24, Jesus taught: "...Have faith in God." In the Hebrew this phrase is translated "Have the faith of God..." what is the "faith of God" and how can we have it? The "faith of God" is the rock-solid idea that nothing is impossible. When He said "Let there be light," there was light and when He said "Let there be a firmament" there was a firmament and so on. That is the kind of faith we are to imitate, build and nurture (Romans 4:17).

How do we imitate, build and nurture the faith of God? By speaking positive decrees into our lives, by praising God who is the author of faith for its manifestation and by persisting to cultivate that attitude even though it may seem that we might fail.

Whenever you attempt the seemingly impossible, as long as it is legally, morally and spiritually right, know that it is God birthing His desires in you all for His glory and your blessing.

Suggested Readings: Genesis 18:14; 1 Kings 17:10-14; 2 Kings 4:2, 3; Hebrews 11:4; Hebrews 11:7; Hebrews 11:8-10; Hebrews 11:17, 18.

Reflection: God’s power in deliverance is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

Prayer: "Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me. Amen."

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