Mat 14:30-32 (NIV) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Jesus, make it clear to me that the only reason Peter didn’t drown was because Jesus was there to save him. Help me understand that, that is why I am still alive; You have been working miracles in my life on a constant basis.

Jesus, help me see that when Peter started to sink, nothing had changed concerning the power of the word “come.” It was still in effect. However, Peter started to sink. Why did that Happen? Show me that You diagnosed it as being caused by some kind of faith problem. Obviously Peter had faith. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have asked You for permission to come to You. If he hadn’t had faith, he wouldn’t have started getting out of the boat or putting his full weight on the water. He obviously had faith or he wouldn’t have walked away from the boat.

Jesus, You didn’t ask Peter, Why didn’t you have faith? You asked him: “Why did you doubt?” Show me that You knew Peter had faith; You acknowledged it by saying; “You of little faith.” Help me see that You were dealing with something different from faith; You were dealing with doubt. Peter had moved his faith from You to the wind and the waves; that is doubt. He doubted You and believed in the storm. Deliver me from doubting You and believing in something else.

Jesus, obviously You knew why Peter doubted; so, why did You ask Peter the question? Help me understand that You wanted Peter to turn to You and ask You why he doubed; but instead, Peter turned inward to himself. It is often that the Bible can cause a question to come up in my mind. Show me that I can try to figure out the answer; or, I can turn to You and ask You.

Jesus, like Peter, I am “walking on the water” of offering my body as a living sacrifice. As I learn that the Bible speaks with creative power, I am believing more and more that I offered my body as a living sacrifice. The reason I think so is because I am begining to use my body to go to church and Christian events; I am making my body read and study the Bible and various types of Christian literature; I am using it to pray, I am talking and listening to God; I am using it to share my new experiences with a few friends; and I am keeping my body away from those things I used to involve it in. I am walking on the water! Praise God!

Jesus, what happens when I start to think, people like me can’t offer their body as a living sacrifice? What was I thinking? I have done this before and failed; what is different now? I have thought I had a way to win before and it didn’t work. What makes this time any different? This may work for other people; but, what makes me think this is going to work for ME? I was just trying this out, I knew nothing was going to help me. Show me that as I LISTEN to thoughts like these listed here, I am LISTENING to the devil trying to discourage me with these thoughts; that is when I start to sink.

Jesus, help me always keep in mind that God’s Word is still the same. It hasn’t changed in its power to transform me. It still says: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” When it said that, I got power to offer my body as a living sacrifice. You didn’t take that power back once I started walking in faith. That verse is still a creative word of power. What is the problem?

Jesus, show me that I have the same problem Peter had. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” You will say the same thing to me, if I start thinking like this. But, make it clear to me that if I keep my eyes on what Your Word says, I will keep walking on the water. I will continue to believe that the Word of God spoke the power for me to offer my body as a living sacrifice. I won’t doubt; I won’t take my eyes off of the Bible or You. I won’t notice any winds or waves; I will keep my eyes where they belong.

Rom 7:23 (NIV) But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. Jesus, what if I do get my eyes off of what You are telling me through the Bible? What if I start my descent into my watery grave? Would I be willing to cry out to You? Or, would I just try to swim back to the boat? Teach me that anytime I try to solve my problems by using human effort, I fail to grow spiritually.

Rom 7:24 (NIV) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Jesus, teach me that, that is the same outcry Peter made. “Lord, save me!” Help me get the same results Peter got. Immediately Jesus reaches out His hand and catches me. Teach me that You immediately reach out and catch those who cry out to You.

Jesus, when I let You walk me back to safety, make it clear to me that I grow spiritually. I will get some critiquing; but, I will grow. Like Peter, You will walk with me through that particular crisis; help me always remember that it isn’t too hard for You. If I will trust You all the way through, I will trust You to help me KEEP presenting my body as a living sacrifice; and, I will KEEP trusting You to help me when I fail. It is scary, confusing, frustrating, embarracing, and discouraging. But, help me cry out because You will reach out and help me.

Jesus, help me understand that if I keep trusting and don’t try to swim back to the boat, I, like Peter, will have to hear the correction: “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” What should my answer be to such a question? I know what Your Word says. I know it is speaking with creative power. Why did I doubt? Because I have faith that is little!

Jesus, help me realize that Christians have been struggling with this “little” faith issue for a long time. Show me that You used a procedure that You frequently used. You would use a word that required a revelation or interpretation from God. You could have used another word and it would have been much easier to understand. But, that would have been human understanding. You want me to get spiritual understanding. When I fail to get spiritual understanding, I struggle with spiritual results. I sink!

Jesus, what should I do about little faith? Teach me that the first thing that has to be done is for me to understand the word “little.” Is this little in size or little in duration? Did I try to believe with small faith? or, did I believe for a LITTLE while and then doubt for a LITTLE while? Jesus, Your disciples thought You meant their faith was little in size. They thought this because they weren’t getting spiritual revelations and interpretations. So, they asked the wrong question.

Luke 17:5-6 (NIV) The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” Jesus, if You told me that my faith was little, asking You to increase it would be the logical response. However, in response to that request from Your apostles, You told them they didn’t need large faith. Teach me that if I decide to not ask ANY questions for fear that I might ask the wrong one, I will miss out on Your wonderful answer like they would have.

Jesus, when You and the Bible are talking to me, if I am thinking one thing and You are meaning something else, this can be confusing to me. If You are telling me that my faith is little, and if my little faith is causing me problems, then how do I make it big? I can try to figure out what You meas by little; or, I can ask You. Because, as long as I am trying to make it big and that isn’t the answer to my problem, I am wasting my time. You will straighten me out IF I am willing to be wrong.

Jesus, show me that You were saying to Peter was, his faith was little in duration. He believed for a while and then doubted for a while. When he was believing, he was walking on water. When he was doubting, he was sinking. So, the real question is, how do I have faith that continues? James 1:6-7 (NIV) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.

Jesus, teach me that doubting isn’t me lacking faith; it is me misplacing my faith. It is me putting my faith in something that is contrary to You and Your Word. As I have seen, Peter believed in a lot of things. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t have asked for permission, got out of the boat, and walked on the water. When Peter started to sink, show me that he still had faith. He just put it in the wind and the waves. Make it clear to me that it wasn’t a faith issue; it was a doubt issue. Help me see that it is important for me to understand that doubt is to put my faith where it doesn’t belong.