FAITH AND "LITTLE FAITH"

Last week my blog post was about learning to “be still” taken from, “Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10). A portion of that article discussed the encounter between Jesus, His disciples—and a storm. The Sea of Galilee is known for the sudden appearance of storms and when this particular storm came, the disciples cried out in panic, “We are going to die!” (Matthew 8:25).

Jesus had made the decision to take the boat across the lake. The day had been busy, filled with teaching and ministry, and soon after the boat began the crossing, Jesus lay down and went to sleep. When He was awakened Jesus spoke first to the panicked disciples, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” The Master then turned his attention directly on the storm, rebuking the wind and the sea—and immediately it became calm (Matthew 8:26).

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” I have always assumed that “little faith” in the original language used the same word for faith as that used for faith in Hebrews 11—simply referring to a very small amount of faith. In Hebrews 11 the Greek word for faith is pistis, which means conviction, confidence, trust, belief, trustworthiness. It is the divinely implanted principle of inward confidence, assurance, trust and reliance in God and all that He says. So my natural assumption was that the Lord was saying to the disciples, “Hey, you need a little more faith in this situation,” but I was wrong!

“Little faith” is not the word pistis but instead is oligopistos. “Little faith” is describing a faith that lacks confidence or trusts too modestly. Another way to describe it is “underdeveloped faith” and these words described the disciples. At this point, they were not yet men of faith and Jesus was chiding them for their lack in this area.

A second incident in Matthew 14 helps us see more clearly what the Lord is teaching here. Again the story involves the Sea of Galilee, the disciples, a boat and a storm (Matthew 14:22-33). Jesus sent the disciples to the boat, instructed them to go across the sea without Him and, yes, a storm came. In the midst of the storm the disciples began to scream like little girls as they suddenly saw Jesus in a place they never dreamt they would. The Lord was walking on the water toward them and the disciples were freaked out. Peter, recognizing that this was not a ghost but was really Jesus, asked, “Can I come there, too?” and Jesus responded, “Come” (Matthew 14:29). Peter began to walk on the water and for a few minutes did just fine. How great would this be, to be able to defy the laws of nature and show off in front of your friends?

When Peter was focused on the Lord he stayed in faith; when he focused on the conditions of the sea around him, he started to sink and cried out to the Lord, “Save me” (Matthew 14:30). Immediately Jesus reached out to Peter, lifted him out of the water, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” The word for little faith here in the original is the same one used in Matthew 8:26 (oligopistos). When Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?” it is a question that throws a lot of light on why many of us are God’s children with “little faith.” The word doubt means to stand divided, to try and follow two paths at the same time. Jesus was asking a question and answering the question at the same time.

The church of the twenty-first century, at least in the United States, is largely a church of “little faith.” We are essentially a people with divided loyalties and we ask the Lord, “Why doesn’t my faith work?” The Lord answers us the way He spoke to the disciples and to Peter: “Why are you so fearful? Why do you doubt, O you of the church of little faith?”

Little faith is faith without a fixed focus. Like Peter out on the water, “little faith” is easily distracted. Whether the stock market is going down or the price of gas is going up, individuals walking in faith are not distracted and their faith remains steadfast, it does not waver.

My personal journey with cancer these last eight months uncovered “little faith” for me to see personally and I had to confront it. My teaching about faith is not faith; my saying I have faith is good but just saying it does not mean it is faith. The way I live and carry out my life is faith.

To say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is a declaration about faith but it is not faith. It is when you begin
to “do” that you begin to really live by faith. “Faith without works is dead [useless]” (James 2:20).

So who else is ready to abandon the ranks of “little faith”? I have already said goodbye to that place of underdeveloped faith and by His grace I’m moving on up!