By Sierra Zenner
As Christians we often talk about stepping out in faith. In fact, we often praise those that do.
When I think about stepping out in faith, I am reminded when disciple Peter stepped out of the boat.
“29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw [a]that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mathew 14: 29-31).
Overall, Peter gets a bad rap for letting his fear get the best of him. However, the other disciples didn’t even attempt to get out of the boat!
Therefore, we use these verses to conclude that “the hardest thing is to step out in faith”. Moreover, in order to have faith, we need to be willing to step out in faith and trust God. Furthermore, about 80% of us will never step out of faith. But have you considered that stepping out in faith isn’t the hardest thing? Where Peter failed was not stepping out of the boat, but staying-a-float in his faith. He let his thoughts, doubts, and fears enter his mind. When he cried out, he lacked faith, trust, and hope. Thus, I proposed to you to ponder about how staying-a-float on water might be harder than the one time act of stepping out of the boat.
In other words, it is great to step out in faith; however, it is a one time faith. Staying-a-float is a daily act of faith. It is when we need to make the repeatedly decision to trust the Lord when the storm or wind is near. It is when we need to turn all thoughts and doubts to the Heavenly Father. Therefore, we need to have hope when in the natural it seems very unlikely or even impossible.
Faith and hope are intertwined. “ Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Furthermore, we need to daily turn away doubts and trust in the Lord. We need to give Him the control. Additionally, we need to be constant in our faith, clinging onto His promises.
“ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25).
“23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [a]daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
Therefore, I conclude it isn’t enough to step out of faith, but we need to be constant in our faith (especially when we come across an unlikely situation). We need to daily decide to have trust, faith, and hope in Him. Furthermore, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Is it really enough to step out of faith?”.
Other verses:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [a]direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).