"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 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. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole."
How we should overcome the problems caused by the weakness of faith apparent in today's Christianity, is perfectly demonstrated by Peter's actions in this lesson.
When Peter stepped down out of that ship, his faith appeared to be great enough to carry him across the water to meet Jesus. However, when the winds came, the weakness of his faith was made apparent, and Peter began to sink. When Peter realized he could not do the thing by himself, he called out to Jesus for help.
Today, when many of those who refer to themselves as Christians, are confronted with challenging circumstances that might hamper their duty to "go ye therefore, and teach" they comfort themselves by deciding that, for whatever reason, they just can't do it and rely on someone else to do it for them.
That is the absolute WRONG way for a Christian to respond to the challenges that confront them. When something happens that might cause us to veer away from our Christian duty, we should cry out for help Just as Peter did. God in His infinite power and through His promise to those of us who place our faith in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, will ALWAYS extend a helping hand.
The lesson is that, even when our faith weakens, God is still there to help.~
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