Why Did You Doubt?
as the
Israelites have turned away from God.
So, he has run away and is hiding;
yet, God
knows where Elijah is and speaks to him.
“What are
you doing here, Elijah?”
God asks this question twice.
Both times Elijah’s answer expresses his fear:
“I
alone am left,
and they are
seeking my life, to take it away.”
The second time God asks the
question is
after God
has ‘passed by’,
after God’s
presence has been made known to Elijah.
The presence of God was not in the wind,
not in the
earthquake,
nor in the fire;
God’s presence was in the silence.
The silence.
Think about that for a moment –no sound;
just quiet
and stillness.
Other translations describe it as
a ‘soft whisper of a voice’,
a ‘gentle and quiet whisper’, or as
the King James translation says
a ‘still small voice’.
God is not heard in the thunderous sounds of nature,
but in the
quiet,
in
the ordinary course of our lives.
You and I
pray,
we ask God,
we thank God,
we praise God.
We also listen to God for the answers to our prayers;
Psalm 46 reminds us to
“Be
Still and know that I am God.”
You and I
can be open to the silence of the moment.
Let us take a brief moment now and listen to the silence…
[30 seconds of silence]
When you and I read the scriptures aloud, we hear the
words,
but there is
no way to know
how the words were said at the time.
Are they said accusingly, with disappoint, with gentleness?
There is no way to know.
So let us look at the question Jesus asks Peter,
why did you doubt?
Was Jesus angry… (shouting)
“YOU OF LITTLE FAITH! WHY DID YOU DOUBT?! “
Was Jesus disappointed… (sadly)
{not again
Peter}
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Or was Jesus giving comfort… (quietly –in a still small voice)
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
{I am here
Peter, I’ve got you}
Peter’s doubt came from fear.
Peter, the disciple who was always curious and eager,
wanted to walk on the water to
Jesus.
When Peter gets out of the boat he can be seen
as
impulsive, as a risk taker,
as crazy or
brave,
or as
someone having faith in Jesus.
Jesus said to Peter “Come”:And that was all Peter needed,
faith
in Jesus’ command.
So if there is faith, why would there be doubt?
Peter noticed the wind and became frightened.
He had a moment of doubt.
What did Peter do in his moment of fear?
He cried out, “Lord,
save me!”
And Jesus responded.
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.
Jesus was there.
Peter knew he could depend on Jesus.
Peter knew Jesus would save him.
Peter’s moment of doubt was in his circumstances,
not in Jesus’ power.
Peter exercised his faith by calling out for
Jesus’ saving help even as he was
sinking.
So the best part of this story for me is
not that Jesus walked on the water
or that Peter walked on the water;
it is that Peter knew he
could cry out for help
and knew Jesus was there to help.Elijah and Peter both had their moment of fear, of doubt.
Neither knew where that next step would take them.
Elijah had to return to the wilderness of Damascus;
He has to
take that first step
because even though he has run to Horeb
to escape possible death,
he needs to return to his journey,
his path,
his service to God.
And Elijah
is assured of God’s guidance and
that others will be sent to help.
Peter took a first step and got out of the boat
because he obeyed Jesus’ summons "Come".
It was Peter’s trust and faith in Jesus that guided
him.
Any journey we take in life,
including our
journey of faith,
begins with a
first step.
A baby learning to walk, keeps trying for that first step.
Usually a little wobbly 2 or 3 steps are taken,
followed by a sudden sit down.
After trying a few times, before you know it
there is a toddler walking then
running
and a new world has opened up to them.
You and I
have had our moments of anxious first steps,
beginning a
new job,
moving to a
new town,
taking on a
new responsibility.
We have our moments of doubt.
A few years
ago I did a zip line for the first time.
This was a
line higher in the air
than I am usually comfortable with,
that stretched out over a lake.
As I took
that step off the platform onto nothing,
every part of me was screaming
‘this is wrong" and
"what are you doing".
And for the
first half of the trip across the lake
you could hear me scream.
But then I
realized I was safe,
I had an incredible view,
and it was going to be over way too quickly.
It was
an adventure.
It was a
risky first step.
And it led
to joy.
It may lead
to…
adventure, an unexpected opportunity,
change, something new,
new discoveries about yourself and
God,
to the beginning of a joy filled
journey
that passes by too quickly.
God is with us on our journeys.
Jesus will never
leave us, no matter our circumstances.
God’s
astonishing grace
and gentle restoring power
is available through Jesus.
You
and I know we
are not alone on our journeys.
As we
venture out in faith,
we can trust that Jesus will be with us.
As you
and I walk through this world,
we need not fear, because God walks
with us.
So what keeps us ‘in the boat’ or causes us to ‘sink’?
Fear or
doubt…
Fear
of standing alone?
God was with
Elijah.
Fear
of failure?
Jesus reached
out to save Peter.
Fear
of inadequacy?
The Holy Spirit is ever present.
Do not
give in to doubt or fear,
listen to the still small voice.
Do not
give in to the circumstances,
keep your focus on God.
As Jesus
called to Peter,
God calls to each of us “Come.”
Whether you
hear it as a command “COME!”
or as an invitation “Come.”
Leave the
cave;
Get out of
the boat;Take that first step, God is and will always be with you.
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