Scripture Saturday — Matthew 14:29-31

"And he [Jesus Christ] said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

"And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

(Matthew 14:29-31)

Three things strike me about the well-known Bible story of Peter making an attempt to walk on the waves of water:

"O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

1) Christ always beckons us, "Come". Whether He is asking us to walk on water, read the scriptures or pay our tithing, the invitation from Jesus Christ is always the same: "Come, follow me". He doesn't ask us to do anything He hasn't done, nor does He ask us to do anything we are incapable of doing. When we follow Jesus Christ, we have a reliable guide. He has been through all things. He knows how to help us. He knows where to take us. He knows what we need even when we our oblivious to our own needs.

2) Like Peter, we often allow our environment to diminish our faith in Jesus Christ. Peter initially demonstrated faith in Jesus Christ. He followed when he was asked to follow, but soon he was distracted by the winds and waves around him. He let his environment diminish his faith. In similar fashion, we often invite doubts, fears and feelings of inadequacy to trump our faith in Jesus Christ. When we do this, we limit our ability to receive blessings from our Father in Heaven.

3) When we call upon the Lord for help, He will answer. Peter quickly rebounded with a profound demonstration of faith. He cried, saying, "Lord, save me." When we call upon our Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ, He will help us. In certain situations, He will answer us "immediately". More often, He will answer us over time, after we have made an effort to act in faith. Regardless of the timing or the way in which He answers, He will always answer.

How can we demonstrate greater faith in Jesus Christ? How can we eliminate fears and doubts which dispel faith?