And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
(Matt. 14:31-32)
Peter was actually walking on the water. But when he got his eyes off the answer and onto the problem, he began to sink. However, notice that Jesus didn’t just walk over, slap him and say, “Swim back to the boat!”
That’s the impression a lot of people have of God. They think, I missed it; God is going to get me now. They come under condemnation because they’ve had a faith failure.
But God doesn’t want you to feel condemned when you miss it and get out of faith. He’s not condemning you. His hand always reaches out to pull you back up on top of the situation!
Jesus didn’t put Peter under condemnation. He just asked him, “Why did you doubt?” Then Jesus caught hold of Peter’s hand and helped him stand up on top of the water again. And I don’t believe Jesus just pulled Peter along back to the boat. I think they walked back together and had a good discussion about faith on the way!
Even when I miss God’s best, He doesn’t condemn me. He picks me up and helps me on my way. There is no condemnation for me, because I’m in Christ Jesus and I walk after the Spirit of God.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.