Fire in the Hole! Faith Part Deux

It has been an entire month since I posted Part One of my faith series. I think it is, for lack of a better word, divine that I'm going through what I am (i.e. the aneurysm). Especially, given that for the past two months, I have written many posts about faith, trusting God, dealing with disappointment, etc. Perhaps those posts (and the study which created them) have readied me for what's ahead..

In any case, in Part One of Faith, I defined faith, per The Bible:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Wh
Faith - \ˈfāth\ noun

1. allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty; fidelity to one's promises
2. belief and trust in and loyalty to God;
   
3. belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
4. firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust

We are often told to "step out on faith." But what does this mean, and what does this imply?

Let's look at someone who literally stepped out on faith: Peter.

Matthew 14:

²⁵During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." ²⁸"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." ²⁹"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" ³¹Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

This is a classic! I'm concentrating on verse 28 - 31.

First things first, "Lord, if it's you." That's a deep one. I think we often step out on things that are not faith because we have not yet determined if God was a part of the plan. We often don't take the time to ascertain if God is involved in the scenario...we just act on impulse. So, kudos to Pete for covering his bases with "Lord, if it's you."

"Tell me to come to you on the water." Kudos numero dos! He's looking for the green light before he puts his foot out there. He is seeking God's approval, and ultimately His will in that moment. Jesus could very well say: "It is me, but please stay on the boat...the water is a little chilly tonight, and I don't want to have to heal your cough and stuffy nose later."

But instead, Christ is giving Peter's faith a chance. And so he bids him come out onto the water.

And he goes! He just hops out of the boat and walks on the water towards Jesus. Boom! The scripture does not record any hesitation on the part of Peter, and I'm inclined to believe that is because there was no hesitation. He had what he needed:

1. That's Jesus out there!
2. He said I could come!

He stepped out on faith.

Knowledge Check: What was Peter's occupation prior to being a follower of Christ?

I have to answer this one for myself: Peter was a fisherman. Think of all the drownings he may have witnessed, the stories, the warnings. He was, no doubt, comfortable with water, but yet intimately aware of its dangers.

Yet, here we find Pete jumping out of the boat and onto the water as if it's dry land. Faith can overpower everything you know to be true, because faith creates a separate truth. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen:

• Peter needed the water to hold up his weight, and his faith was the needed substance giving it the ability to do so.
• And the evidence of this occurrence--that his faith had created a situation where water could hold him--was the very fact that he was walking on it!

Do. You. Feel. Me?


So Peter is out there, strolling on the water like he's on the streets of Jerusalem, when WHOOSH! He sees the wind. And he knows something about wind, how it affects the water, and suddenly he feel unsafe. And he sinks.

Many people will tell you that Peter sank because he took his eyes off Jesus. That as long as we keep our eyes on Christ we will never sink. I'm not saying that isn't true. I've heard that message before and was deeply moved. However, I like to offer twists. I think this particular situation is solely about Peter's faith. When Jesus saves him, he doesn't say: "Why'd you take your eyes off me?" He says: "Why did you doubt?"

Peter's faith became misplaced:

Two faith's came into play during Peter's short time on the water:

1. His faith in the natural order, and
2. His faith in the spiritual order created by faith in Christ

"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid..."

He saw the wind? Who can see wind? Is it crazy that people always compare wind to faith, or to God? "You can't see the wind, but you know it's there because you can feel it."

Peter felt the wind, maybe he saw what the invisible wind was doing to the water. So, because he knew what wind could do, though he didn't see himself sinking, though he didn't see a wave approaching to crash over his head...he became certain he would die. This certainty was not based on his seeing the wind, but rather it was based on his proven knowledge of the natural order.

The natural order is not enough to justify our lack of faith! This brings in Webster's definition #4, which states that with faith there is NO PROOF. The only proof that he had was his faith. By his faith he walked on water. But his faith was young. Not mature enough yet to ignore natural order, but it's a lesson. It was a lesson to him, and it is a lesson to us: our spiritual faith is greater than the natural order. By it, Peter walked on water. By it lepers were made whole. By it the blind saw, the lame leaped.

The natural order has nothing on faith.

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P.S. I almost put this song on autoplay to force you to hear it...but I will be kind. But listen to it! I love it!!