Introduction: Michael Quoist’s book Prayers includes a prayer I have found quite meaningful when I have questions about the circumstances of my life and my faith. A portion of the prayer says:

Lord, it is dark.

Lord, are you here in my darkness?

Your light has gone out, and so has its reflection on men and on all the things around me.

Everything seems grey and somber as when a fog blots out the sun and enshrouds the earth.

Everything is an effort, everything is difficult, and I am heavy-footed and slow.

Every morning I am overwhelmed at the thought of another day.

I long for an end...

I should like to leave,

Run away,

Flee,

Anywhere, escape.

Escape what?

You, Lord, others, myself, I don’t know,

But leave,

Flee…

Lord, it is dark.

Lord, are you here in my darkness?

Where are you, Lord?

Do you love me still?

Or have I wearied you?

Lord, answer,

Answer!

It is dark.

There is no darkness deeper than when the events of your life seem to contradict everything you have previously trusted and understood about God. You want to not doubt his ability and character but you do. You want to not question when you have been faithful in every way you knew, yet now life, and it seems God, has turned against you. The circumstances of your days have become filled with the gale force winds of fear and your faith is being battered by the waves of doubt. You are in a storm. You are in a crisis of faith.

What is a crisis of faith? A crisis of faith occurs when you get that call that there has been an accident. A crisis of faith occurs when they tell you it’s an emergency. A crisis of faith comes when they tell you it’s malignant. A crisis of faith comes when they say they don’t love you anymore. A crisis of faith occurs when you hear the words, "We tried everything we could." A crisis of faith occurs when you are notified that your employment is no longer required. What is a crisis of faith? A crisis of faith is the point where the circumstances of our life challenge our confidence in God’s love, ability and character.

For some of us even saying in the same sentence that there could be a question about a conflict between what we know about God, our circumstances and our trust in him is unthinkable. Yet one author says, "If faith never encounters doubt if truth never struggles with error, if good never battles with evil, how can faith know its own power? In my own pilgrimage, if I have to choose between a faith that has stared doubt in the eye and made it blink, or a naïve faith that has never known the firing life of doubt, I will choose the former every time."

Matthew 14:22-33 is both the reality and a parable of a crisis of faith. The story takes place in what we know as the northern part of Israel today in a region called Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is a body of water about thirteen miles long and eight miles wide. It is surrounded by low mountains and was a favorite place for Jesus. Just as in our lives a crisis of faith is fed or fueled by outside circumstances, it is possible that the same was true for the disciples. One issue that impacted the disciples was the news that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist. (Matt. 14:1-12) Perhaps for the first time the disciples were confronted with the seriousness of their mission and the cost that comes with absolute obedience to Jesus Christ. When the news was reported to Jesus he left the disciples, most likely to grieve and remind himself of the calling given to him by his Father. The place Jesus goes is a boat out on the sea to be alone. (Matt. 14:13).

Yet Jesus could not even have time to grieve for long because the crowds found him. When he saw the crowds his heart broke for them and be began to heal those who were sick. As the sun began to set the disciples were aware of the needs of the crowd also—they were going to be hungry! Jesus commands the disciples to feed them but they only have barely enough for the twelve of them, which was nothing compared to the thousands all around them. They bring to Jesus what they have and he multiplies it to feed the thousands in a miraculous demonstration of his power. (Matt. 14:14-21)

We read in Matthew 14:22 that Jesus orders the disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while he sent the multitudes away. Can you imagine how you would have felt by this time as a disciple? You have been confronted with the price you might have to pay for disturbing those in power. Jesus himself is obviously troubled by it all. You have just witnessed a miracle of unbelievable force and now Jesus sends you off again by yourself. You are without his presence and he is alone in the presence of his Father. (Matt. 14:23)

If their mental and emotional state was not already bad enough, things got worse—they encounter a storm. Now understand that storms for them would have been nothing new. Not all of the disciples were fishermen but some were. Storms were common on the Sea of Galilee. They were normally very intense and very brief. This storm hits them about three to four miles out in the sea. We know from Matthew’s record that it is night and that the disciples are doing everything they know to stay alive. Can you see them there huddled in that small boat, some pulling at the oars with all their might, another with his hands on the rudder trying to keep the boat going toward land? The wind is roaring, the sail popping, the waves and spray drenching you and blinding you. Then realizing they are where they are because Jesus told them to go to the other side at night! They obeyed and all it brought was trouble. (Matt. 14:24)

At about 3:00 a.m., in the chaos created by the storm, they see Jesus walking on the sea in the middle of the storm. Through all of the noise, wind and waves there he is in the storm and above the storm. His presence, while meaning to comfort them, only adds to their fear. Now they think it is a ghost and their response is one of complete terror. Jesus speaks to them to comfort them, telling them that they need to be encouraged, that he is present and they have nothing to fear. But none of this is enough for Peter. Peter is not interested in words and the presence of Jesus. What he wants is proof that it truly is Jesus! His statement is basically, "If it’s really you then let me walk on water too!" All Jesus says is, "Come!" (Matt. 14:25-29)

The courage of Peter to take the first step over the side is no small matter. When everything would have screamed against his senses to not do what he is about to do, he does it! Just listen to the simplicity and yet power in these words: "And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus."(Matt. 14:29) Then notice the next two words: "But seeing…" (Matt. 14:30) This tells us that Peter’s reason and rational mind began to contradict his courage. He sees the effects of the wind and suddenly realizes what he is attempting to do. He, in turn, becomes afraid and does what all of us do when the facts overwhelm our faith: "Lord, save me!" Jesus did what he alone can do. "Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him" (Matt. 14:31). Yet while pulling Peter up he rebukes him sharply: "O you of little faith. Why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31). He doesn’t say to Peter, "I’m so proud of you for trying" or, "Great first step!" but, "Your faith is weak, why did you doubt me?" How Peter and Jesus got back to the boat I don’t know. Jesus may very well have carried him. Nevertheless, when they got back into the boat the storm stopped. In the calm after the storm they gather around him in the boat and worship him, declaring, "You really are God’s Son!" (Matt. 14:32-33)

In the quiet of the revelation of the nature of Jesus to these disciples we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus was surprised and disappointed for their lack of faith. There are three other times in Matthew when Jesus confronts followers for their failure to trust him, (Matt. 6:30, 8:25, 16:8). We imagine that our lack of faith is the norm and to demonstrate faith in a crisis is something worthy of praise. Instead, demonstrating faith in the crisis is the norm and to not trust is what Jesus finds amazing!

Why are we so stunned by crisis in our lives? Mainly, because there are some realities about our world that we forget. We forget that there is something terribly wrong with our world—it is broken. As Bob Dylan sings, "Everything is broken." Another thing we forget is that we--all of us—are not and cannot be perfect. We will find a way to wreck or break anything that isn’t already ruined. We forget also that disaster, death and disease will always be a reality. I recently passed by a new house being built that had a concrete reinforced room on one corner of the slab. I realized that it was a room for the occupants to go in the event of a tornado. That room admitted there’s a part of life out of my control. I can’t change it or manage it. I can only try to survive it. We can’t control the crisis of faith we encounter. We are asked to do more than survive it but to have the courage to trust God in spite of it. It’s evident from this story that the courage to trust is critical to a crisis of faith.

As I said, this story is a reality but it is also a parable of our own crisis of faith. What can we learn when the circumstances of our life challenge our confidence in God’s ability and character?

First, a crisis of faith challenges our understanding of God’s promises (Matt. 14:22): Remember that the disciples were doing what Jesus had told them to do. Our crisis of faith can come when we are being completely faithful to all that we know God has asked of us. No matter what I know it still is a conflict within me when those who I perceive to be obedient suffer seemingly unjustly an unfairly. So we ask God things like: "Why them?" "Why me?" "Did I not…?"

Next, a crisis of faith puts us in a place where we are the most vulnerable (Matt. 14:23-24): The disciples are without Jesus’ presence, they are too far out to swim, they are exhausted from rowing against the waves and fearing for their lives. A crisis of faith will do the same to us. It will put us in a place where we are confused, exhausted, fearful and threatened. We feel exposed and helpless to everything around us.

I also see that a crisis of faith will challenge the issues of control in our life (Matt. 14:25-29): There is little doubt that they were helpless, but at least it was their storm. The presence of Jesus, which was meant to console them, only added to their fear. Our crisis that is testing and pressing our faith may have us exhausted but it is at least familiar to us. Our reason questions why we would want to let go of what is at least familiar to risk the intrusion of trusting God!

A crisis of faith will as well challenge our confidence in God’s reality and identity (Matt. 14:28-31): Here is Jesus walking on water at three o’clock in the morning in the middle of a storm and Peter wants assurance and proof that it really is Him! Who else would it be? In our crisis of faith we sense a Presence with us that is at once comforting and fearful. We can get so confused that we are unsure if the Presence can be trusted even when there could be no other explanation.

Finally we must realize that a crisis of faith requires courage to trust and stay focused (Matt. 14:28-32): What Jesus wanted was the trust of the disciples. He would take care of everything else. What he wanted was for them to believe. In the middle of the crisis of our faith God wants more than anything else to trust Him. That’s all we can do but it is all God asks. Paul would say, " That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever." (II Cor.4:16-18)

Conclusion: Today, right now, where is your crisis of faith? Have you or someone you love encountered that place where the circumstances of you life challenge what you know about the character and love of God? Believe me, more than our being able to understand why He wants you to trust Him. May the words of this song be a comfort to you in the storm.

Be not dismayed, tho it seems like the storms will never end;

Be not afraid, when it seems like you haven’t got a friend.

The storms are raging, and you don’t have to run and hide,

The Lord is faithful to heal the lonely heart inside.

Chorus:

Peace by still, the Father loves you;

Peace be still, the Father loves you.

And no matter where you are or where you’ve been,

I am sure He want you to know He won’t let go. Jesus won’t let go.

Be not dismayed, tho it seems like the hurt will never end;

Be still and know that the Father will never let you go.

The pain is raging, and you don’t have to run and hide,

The Lord is faithful to heal a hurting heart inside.

Chorus

Sunday, June 10, 2001

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org