Living by Faith

I am surprised that there are some people who have followed Jesus for years, yet they still are lacking in faith. God has sustained you and provided for decades and yet when trouble comes; fear, doubt, worry and anxiety creep in and you fail to remember what God has done for you in the past and what he has promised. There is an interesting incident in the gospels where Jesus shows the contrast between faith and fear.

 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27

The Sea of Galilee is about 13 miles long and eight miles wide. It’s not unusual for violent storms to sweep across the water all of a sudden. The sky was probably dark and cloudy, there may have been thunder and lightning, and the text says that a fierce storm struck the lake and their boat began taking on water. They were being swamped by the high, crashing waves. This must have been a brutal storm because some of these men were experienced fisherman who had weathered many storms in the past, but this one had them shaking in their sandals. They were scared to death but Jesus was sound asleep. They went over and woke Jesus up and said, “Save us, Lord; we are going to drown!”

When you look at the circumstances surrounding them you could see why they were terrified. But it looks like this whole scenario was designed to be a test of their faith. Because the first thing out of Jesus mouth when he wakes up is “Why are you afraid, you have so little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed saying, "Who is this man? Even winds and the waves obey him?" (Jesus is the Master of the sea).



So what about you? Are you consumed with fear or do you walk by faith? Do you allow fear to overcome your faith or does your faith extinguish your fear?

If you really claim to follow Jesus; then that means you must live by faith. Even when the storms of life come and you think you’re going to drown. Have faith in God. If you’re dealing with grief or sorrow, sickness or disease, heartache or loneliness, disappointment or despair, fear or anxiety, marital or financial problems; have faith in God. Just as the disciples did, cry out to Jesus. He understands. He's been there. He's gone through the human experience and sympathizes with your weaknesses.

We begin by faith
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

We are saved by faith
For by grace you have been saved through faith. Ephesians 2:8

We live by faith
We walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7