Caught!

Matthew 14:31 (New International Version)
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

A lot of people, myself included, tend to think that God only shows up when doubt is gone...not a factor, faith in full effect. I can't tell you the times that I've wondered if I haven't received something that I've prayed for based on my level of faith...anyone been there?!

However, the above verse in my opinion shows just the opposite. Verse 31 comes after Jesus asks Peter to walk on water. At first, Peter succeeds, his eyes on Jesus, he shows that he can walk on that very water. BUT, doubt sets in, the factors are considered, the reality of the situation sets in, and he realizes that there is no reason why he should be walking on the water?

We all know what happens next...Peter sees the wind, and begins to get scared and sink.

Have you ever been there? Where you can't understand why you are accomplishing something that you very well shouldn't be able to perform? What about you muster up enough strength to wrap your mind around the task, but once you start, you begin to back pedal, and question why you?!

God promises us that He will restore our faith (James 5:15). Verse 31 shows us that God does not turn away, or wait for our faith to be restored before He reaches out His hand in times of doubt. I needed to explore this verse because I naturally tend to doubt A LOT! I don't like that I do, but if I can be real and honest....doubt sets in often times way before faith. It has been comforting to read that God recognizes that His people doubt, and that He still reaches out to catch us despite our humanness...

One of my most favorite scriptures, (notice a trend here), is Exodus 14:14 'the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.' This scripture is positioned right in the middle of the Exodus led by Moses to take the people to the Promised Land. The people were complaining, scared, and fearful. This fear caused them to pray. God often brings us to scary places so that we have no choice but to call on Him, to pray and communicate with Him, and then to WAIT! (A topic that deserves a post for itself...stay tuned).

However, doubt many times manifests itself in the waiting period...will it happen, can I do it, why me, will I succeed, am I on the right path? I could go on and on! The answer is yes, it just may not be the answer we expected, or in the package we dreamed about....and only God's timing can bring peace...

~Goodnight!