When Faith is Tested

St. Aidan’s Sermons

Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Rev. Canon Dr. Brett Cane, August 7, 2011

 

8th Sunday after Pentecost; 8:30 and 10:00 am Holy Communion

 

“When Faith Is Tested”

Matthew 14:22-33

 

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus, sometimes you put us in situations where we feel tossed about and abandoned; help us now, by your Holy Spirit, to see your presence in the midst of the storm, that we may learn to trust and proclaim, “Truly, you are the Son of God,” to the glory of the Father. Amen.

 

Introduction

 

This summer, we are in the midst of a drought here in Manitoba but summer is usually a time for sudden storms – violent ones. Very often we can feel “storm-tossed” as we go through our lives and are subjected to pressures and upheavals from time to time. The twelve disciples in our reading from Matthew were in such a situation – a literal storm and a figurative one too. It’s such an exciting story, and it was probably transmitted by an eye-witness – perhaps even Peter himself. Just listen to how well it reads in the first person:

When we saw Jesus walking on the lake, we were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” we said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to us: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” I replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then I got down out of the boat, walked on the water and went toward Jesus. But when I saw the wind, I was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught me. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when we climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those of us who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

So here is a story about a storm and the place of faith in that storm – when faith is tested.

 

It’s Jesus’ Fault!

 

First, we need to see that the whole predicament the disciples were in was Jesus’ fault – don’t try and get him off the hook; it says that “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side” (Matthew 14:22). Apparently, the word “made” in the original has the sense of “compelled.” Very often, the turmoil of life we find ourselves in may be the direct result of taking Jesus seriously.

• “You guided me to pursue this relationship which is now causing me so much pain.”
• “You gave me this job which is now driving me nuts.”
• “I didn’t want to take on this responsibility for the church, I told you I wasn’t the right one – and now look at the mess I’m in.”
• “I didn’t ask for these gifts; you gave them to me, and now look where they’ve landed me!”

There are so many situations in which we find ourselves that we genuinely thought – and probably rightly so – were what God wanted for us; and yet, now we find ourselves in the midst of struggle and pain. How can this be of God? Well, sometimes the messes are our fault – but many times they are not. We have to face squarely that God is involved in this – don’t excuse him. Just as Jesus deliberately sent his disciples into what he probably knew was a difficult and even life-threatening situation, so he does with us. The Christian life is not all smooth sailing and the sooner we realize that the better. The storms we experience may be a part of God’s plan for us to test our faith.

 

Jesus Comes to Us

 

Now one of the immediate responses we may have in the midst of a crisis is that God has abandoned us. But the truth is that Jesus doesn’t abandon us any more than he abandoned the disciples in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Most of us here would be familiar with the poem, “Footprints”:

One night I had a dream. I dreamt I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of life there was only one set of footprints. I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life. This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.

“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The Lord replied. “My precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you”¹

The point made is that the times when we sense God’s abandoning of us are really times when God is most supporting us. But the problem is that in our experience we often don’t realize the truth of this until after the crisis has passed!

 

What’s more, the problem is made worse by the fact that Jesus often takes a long time to come to our aid. Look at the story in Matthew – Jesus sends them off in what must have been late afternoon; by the time evening comes, it says “The boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them” (verses 24-25). Now the Sea of Galilee is only 7 miles wide by 13 miles long, not such a great distance. Yet, it isn’t until the fourth watch of the night (between three and six a.m.) – some 12 hours perhaps after their initial parting – that Jesus comes to them. He let them suffer that long!

 

There are times in our lives when a situation is so difficult and we have prayed for so long, with seemingly no results, that we feel Jesus doesn’t even care. “Where is he? It’s been such a long time.” I’m sure the disciples were beginning to despair of reaching land alive. The storms on the Sea of Galilee can be extremely rough. Natural disasters can be even more terrifying than other kinds. I remember being in an earthquake some years ago – the earth was shuddering and there was nothing I could do to stop it – I felt powerless. This is exactly how the disciples must have felt – and so often how we feel in the midst of crisis. “Where is Jesus?”

 

But then there is the great truth – Jesus does come; the timing may not be ours – but he comes. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Now, most of us know that verse in the form of “No temptation has seized you…” Well, the word “to tempt” in Greek is the same as “to test” – how you translate it depends on the context. A trying situation is often neutral – the Devil can use it to tempt us, to make us fail; the Lord can use it to test us – to make us strong. I prefer the term “test” here because it is broader. A testing situation is not primarily something to be avoided but can be used positively. This is what was happening on the Sea of Galilee. But back to the principal thought; when we are tested, God will provide us a way out – we may not take it – that’s our responsibility – but he will not leave us to face the crisis alone.

 

Jesus Comes Unexpectedly

 

But then we have to face a new challenge – when God does come to us he may not come to us in quite the way we expected. Here, on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a tremendous storm, the last thing the disciples wanted to see was some apparition coming towards them through the storm-tossed waves – only dimly visible through the lightening and the rain. It says “…they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear” (verse 26). Now, these were big men, seasoned fishermen – but they were scared! Jesus doesn’t always come to us the way we ask him to.

 

Sometimes Jesus comes to help us through an individual we would naturally dislike – the last person we would want to see in the midst of a crisis – “O Lord, don’t send her to me now!” But that individual may be God’s means of communication to you. On other occasions, an emotional or physical sickness may be the means of us recognizing his presence. When I was in my first parish, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown but didn’t know it; it was chest pains that alerted me to the fact that something was wrong. I even checked myself into a hospital emergency ward only to find out that the chest pains were stress-related. Jesus used those pains to bring me into a realization of what was happening and led me into a new freedom and profound growth. Sometimes, we are so blinded by the crisis we are in, Jesus needs to come to us through dramatic means. This is what happened out on the Sea of Galilee.

 

This tells us that we can’t put Jesus in a neat little box. He doesn’t always function the way we think he should. His comforting Spirit can be a burning fire and blowing wind that burns up impurities and blows away the rubbish – he disturbs the orderliness of our lives. Jesus will come to us, but not necessarily in the way we expect.

 

The Encounter with Jesus

 

How we benefit from that encounter with Jesus depends on how much we trust him. In the story, Jesus immediately seeks to put the disciples’ fears at rest, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (verse 27). Peter then does a very risky thing – he verbalizes his doubts. “Lord, if it’s you…” (verse 28). I am sure each of the other eleven was asking the same question, “Is it really him? Is it our imaginations or worse – some force to do us evil?” But it is Peter who jumps in with both feet (literally!): “Lord, if it’s you…tell me to come to you on the water” (verse 28). Why did he have to do that? Couldn’t he have just waited until Jesus got nearer to be sure?

 

Well, Peter’s personality didn’t allow for that! He may have suffered from what today we would define as ADHD – “attention deficit hyperactive disorder.” Such people are totally spontaneous – they take action without thought of the consequences. Now, for most of my life, I have been the more timid type, like the other apostles. I often feel that it has been my undoing because I never end up experiencing any great elation – things work out quietly (but God is changing me!) But I do admire Peter and people like him – they are willing to take risks in faith. There is the danger of far greater failure; but there is also the possibility of far greater blessing.

Peter experienced both – he had the thrill of walking on water as Jesus did; but then he had the horror and humiliation of sinking in the midst of the sea. He had faith, but it was combined with impetuosity. You see this often with those new to the faith – they will take great risks, and fall flat on their faces – or, as in this case, get in up to their neck; but at least they will have learned. Maybe more of us need the impetuosity of Peter: to experience the thrill of rewarded faith, followed by the humiliation of embarrassing failure, and then the strong, firm hand of Jesus lifting us out of the depths of despair. Maybe we would learn more that way – Peter certainly did.

 

As Jesus reaches out to the sinking Peter, he tells him, “You of little faith…why did you doubt?” (verse 31). But what was wrong with Peter’s faith? He was the one who had the guts to step out onto the water! Didn’t that take faith? Perhaps the “little faith” goes back to his earlier question, “Lord, if it’s you…” Peter doubted that it was Jesus present with them. Jesus’ simple, “It is I” should have been enough. Peter didn’t take Jesus at his word. I am not against great steps of faith; Jesus may indeed call you to “go out to him on the water” – but it was not necessary here. Peter didn’t have to walk on water to exercise faith – all he had to do was take Jesus at his word. Jesus’ promise of his presence with them should have been enough.

 

When it comes to faith, so many of us feel inadequate. We feel that faith is something you have to draw up from within ourselves. Perhaps this is where the problem lies – we tackle survival in crisis by beginning within ourselves. Jesus says that we need to begin outside ourselves. Surviving the storm means putting your faith in something, someone, who is outside the storm, bigger than the storm, able to control the storm. When Jesus says, “You of little faith…why did you doubt?” he meant, “Why did you doubt me?” “Do you not see God’s power present and active through me?” Jesus is to be the object and focus of our faith in the midst of our storms. We do not begin with our own abilities to exercise faith but with the object of our faith – Jesus.

 

Keeping our spiritual eyes focused is illustrated by what happens in the story. Jesus says “Come,” and Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water towards Jesus. But then it says, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid” (verse 30). As long as Peter’s eyes were on Jesus, he could walk straight ahead – but as soon as he looked around at the circumstances, he began to sink. He took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm. It is not what spiritual strength we can well up within ourselves but who our faith is focused on that is the key. A good definition of faith is “keeping your eyes on Jesus.” When we keep our eyes on Jesus, then we remember that he is stronger than any of the struggles around us. He has borne abuse and betrayal, misunderstanding and hatred; he has gone through death and out the other side. We can trust him; he will see us through.

 

Conclusion

 

Peter and the disciples learned something very special that day through this encounter with Jesus: at the end of the story they exclaim: “Truly you are the Son of God” (verse 32). Out of this terrifying experience, they had a fresh vision of who Jesus is. Their fresh vision of him led to a growth of their faith in him. Out of the terror, bravado, failure and rescue of the situation, they saw Jesus in a new light and their faith grew.

 

This is how our faith grows, too. It is often not a very “nice” experience. It can be frightening or humiliating. It can involve a sense of abandonment from God. It can involve a sense of being overwhelmed by the waves and storms of life. But it also involves the strong rescuing hand of Jesus. There is a new awareness of how great is the God who loves us. Are you ready to see him at work in the storms of life that surround you – when faith is tested?