Faith: A Little vs. A Lot

Scripture: Then Peter called to him: "Sir, if it is really you, tell me to come over to you, walking on the water." "All right," the Lord said, "come along!" So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. "O man of little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" Matthew 14:28-31

Observation: In this telling of the 'walking on the water', Peter has this exchange with Jesus. At first, he trust that, based on Jesus' command alone, he is able to walk on water himself, and in fact he does. Then he becomes afraid and thus sinks, being pulled out of the water by Jesus, and called a "man of little faith" who doubted Jesus.

Of course, Peter at first had so much faith that he actually walked on water, believing in nothing but the authority of Jesus. When he sinks, being a long-time fisherman certainly he knows how to swim even in a storm, but instead his belief in Jesus makes him immediately cry out to Jesus for help ... he would trust in Jesus, standing on top of water, than in his own ability.

In this manner, we are shown the difference between "a little" and "a lot" of faith. With a lot of faith, a Peter could do anything, even impossible things like walking on water. With a little faith, Peter could cry out to Jesus and be rescued from a life-threatening situation. Yes, his initial abundance of faith waivered - doubt in the reality of the situation crept in - but even a little faith meant that his first action was to call to Jesus, and he was saved. So Peter was at that moment a man of little faith, but he was not a man of no faith.

Application: I could summarize this insight as follows: Having a little faith means I turn to God when I am afraid or in need of help, believing he can assist me and save me; Having a lot of faith means I trust in God so greatly that I am never afraid, never needing to invoke God's special attention to save me, for I know God is already at my side, guiding me, helping me, and leading me on his path.

Clearly, I am ... a man of little faith. On a continuum, I am closer to the "unafraid" end of it most of the time. However, I am afraid during high-stakes situations, and my first reaction is to ask God for help rather than give him glory for already helping. I try to do the latter. For example, with the current unrest and uncertainty in the US, I am not afraid at all, though I worry a bit about the future, and I mostly pray to the Lord about his will be done. I haven't always been like that, though.

A little faith isn't a bad thing, it is just much less beneficial to ourselves and to the Lord compared to a lot of faith. With a little faith, I can be afraid but saved. With a lot of faith, I trust the saving so much that I don't feel the fear in the first place. I desire to be in that state of faith permanently.

Prayer: Lord, you are so great, so wise, so awesome, and so loving. My faith is in you, and I fully believe you are in control of everything from global nature, to national politics, to my family comfort, to my own health. I trust in your love and mercy, and in your plan and purposes. I am always at least a man of little faith. May I daily be a man of a lot of faith. Amen.