How often do we doubt God’s provisions? Weekly? Daily? Several times a day? Are we even conscious of our doubt? Probably not. Let’s dive into one of the many reasons why we shouldn’t doubt Jesus!

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:31

I wrote about fear last week (Fear Not), Matthew 14:30. I felt I needed to continue though. I talked briefly about God caring for us but wanted to go into more detail.

So we carry on to verse 31.

There are two parts to this verse:

The first is that Jesus reached out his hand. This wasn’t a tired or frustrated hand offering. As soon as Peter called out, Jesus was there, immediately. No hesitation.

Jesus knows what we need and when we need it. He won’t hesitate to stretch out his hand for us. Wind or rain, hardship or trial, his hand is always there to steady us.

It’s pretty amazing when we think about it. Who else could have saved Peter that fast? (No one!) The same goes for us in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

Now for the other part of the verse; what Jesus said to Peter.

He didn’t rebuke Peter for stepping out of the boat in the middle of a storm. He didn’t say he should have walked faster. He didn’t tell him he needed to work on his technique.

He asked him why he doubted.

Why Did You Doubt?

Let’s be real. I can understand Peter’s doubt. Walking on water is impossible. Walking on water during a storm is, for lack of a better way of saying it, suicide. Peter was tempting death.

So his doubt seems warranted, from a human perspective. Except he wasn’t walking out to just anyone, he was walking to Jesus.

Jesus had instructed him to come in the first place. He wanted Peter to trust him, to have faith. And that’s what Peter was lacking. That’s why he doubted.

It Takes Faith

How often could this be repeated to us in our daily lives? How often are we too afraid to do something, even if the Lord is calling us to do it?

Even motherhood takes faith. We often think of patience as the first thing moms need (after coffee), but it’s not. We need faith. We need to trust that God is directing our parenting. Trust that he will give us strength during toddler trials. Trust that he will offer a hand when we feel overwhelmed.

Just as we trust the Lord to keep us safe on the roads, in our jobs and our activities. It’s faith that moves mountains and lets people walk on water. And it’s faith that keeps us going in our day-to-day lives.

I’m not saying you should find the nearest body of water to test this out because there are plenty of other times we have to trust God. Look for them. For things that may seem uncomfortable or difficult, that’s when we need to lean on God and have faith he will help us!

Peter’s story is just one example of faith (or lack thereof) that we read about. It shows us God’s love and how much he cares, even when we make mistakes.

Seek his guidance and where he needs you. You never know what amazing things he has in store if we remove doubt and trust him!

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