Faith and doubt

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. – Matthew 14: 28-32

I have heard sermons on these passages, for many years, most seem to say that the point is to “get out of the boat” and “don’t doubt.” While these are pithy sayings, I don’t think that was what Matthew had in mind when he recorded this story for the early followers of Christ.

It seems to me that the story shows us that it is natural to have a mixture of faith and doubt in our lives. The disciples were afraid and even when Jesus identified himself, they were not sure. Peter’s moment of faith was short-lived. He was full of faith and full of doubt at the same time. Even in later stories of Peter, after the resurrection, we find he is a man of both faith and doubt.

Disciples – followers of Christ – are not superhuman. They are regular folks who struggle each day with belief. Like, Peter and the others, we are people who are not perfect. Even as we mature in our faith we will have times of doubt as well as times of faith. As we mature, though, we will trust and follow anyway.

When the storms of life close in on us we can choose to trust that God will be with us through the storm. Sometimes God will be evident and sometimes he will be hidden, but always we can trust that God will be there. The Psalmist put it this way, “even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4).

I hope you will join us at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (Lodgepole and 13th Streets) as we worship the God who is with us through all circumstances. Summer worship each Sunday at 9 a.m. and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Come and join the discussions at Lifetree Café at the Coffee Corner on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.