"People of little faith" (1)

Sunday February 27, 2022

"People of little faith" (1)

“He said to them : Why are you afraid, you people of little faith.” Matthew 8. 26

Who were these “people of little faith” ? The disciples, and us at the same time. Four times in the same gospel Jesus addresses his companions in this way. On each occasion, one can detect in the voice of Jesus a certain tenderness which attenuates the reproach. The disciples' faith may have been weak, but it was sincere. Didn't He say that with faith the size of a mustard seed they would be able to tell a mountain to go and throw itself into the sea ? Even if our faith is weak, God will deal with us as He does with the birds of the air and the flowers of the field (Matthew 6:30). He will calm our fears and our hearts (Matthew 8:26). He will provide us with everything we need both for ourselves and for our mission (2 Corinthians 9:8). Jesus knows that sometimes our faith wavers, when we know He will never leave us. We allow doubt to invade our minds, even though we have experienced His omnipotence. When Peter walked on water to meet Jesus, he had decided to trust Jesus. But suddenly an ulterior motive crossed his mind... and he began to sink. It was a last minute thought, an afterthought that suddenly erased his trust in Jesus. Martin Lloyd-Jones writes : “That is the problem when our faith is weak. We are questioning what we had already accepted and recognized as true and trustworthy.” The “people of little faith” have enough to be saved. But following Jesus without stumbling on the path requires more faith. You may say that your natural temperament makes you suspicious, that you find it difficult to forget your worries, that your heart panics easily. But have you studied His word to know how to remedy it ? Have you spent enough time in prayer asking Him to increase your faith ? Have you been persistent in your requests ? So many questions we should all ask ourselves, don't you think ?

Source (His Word for Today)