The Fifth Step — People of a Faith Like High Mountains and Deep Valleys

1He brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, waters flowed out from under the threshold of the house eastward, for the front of the house faced toward the east. The waters came down from underneath, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. 2Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me around by the way outside to the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looks toward the east. Behold, waters ran out on the right side. 3When the man went out eastward with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. 4Again he measured one thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured one thousand, and caused me to pass through waters that were to the waist. 5Afterward he measured one thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be walked through.

Jesus performed the miracle of the five loaves and two fish and fed the crowds. Then, before the crowd had even dispersed, he hurried the disciples off across the water to Capernaum. He did this because he was concerned that the disciples, having seen the miracle of the loaves and fish, would forget their proper place and settle for a faith that looked only for miracles.

As the disciples sailed toward Capernaum, a storm set the boat lurching violently. Fear swept over them all at once, and their terror only deepened. In a storm where they could not see a hand’s breadth ahead, they did everything they could to find their course, but it was no easy thing.

Crossing the dark sea without Jesus, the disciples could recall none of the words they had heard, nor the miracle of the loaves and fish. The waves surging before their eyes had become the only thing they could see to fear. You too, when you face a problem too great to bear, will find everything going dark before you; you will forget all the word and faith you have learned, and only the problem you cannot solve will loom large.

Satan troubles God’s people in order to shake their faith, because when he sees them overwhelmed by fear and unable to hold on to their faith, he can mock God to his heart’s content. The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, good for food and a delight to the eyes; temptation as alluring as a brightly colored snake; waves so fierce they seem ready to kill at any moment — these are passing schemes Satan devises to bring the faithful down.

Yet the trials of the world, which seem impossible ever to overcome, vanish in an instant when the light of Christ shines on them. Only when we believe this can we drive back Satan’s temptations. Sadly, though, not one of the disciples applied the word to their lives. When they saw the high waves, they forgot that God is almighty, and they lost all their confidence that Jesus is the Savior who would never abandon them.

To take a simple example, athletes must train again and again under conditions just like a real match; only then can they compete skillfully, doing what their bodies have learned. Likewise, the disciples had to train themselves to overcome every problem through prayer and the word; only then could they easily ward off Satan’s attacks. Captains with long experience at sea know the moods of the sea well. A glance at the direction of the wind tells them what is coming, and so they can respond nimbly to any situation and sail in safety.

So it is with those who live by faith: they can tell what is coming simply by watching Satan’s movements and the way people behave, and so they can prepare. If we keep our faith and our life in separate places, we will tremble with fear at every problem and be able to do nothing. God did not give us the Bible to carry to church, but so that we would live a life of faith according to the written word of life. Only when we live by faith can God put that faith to use.

Romans 8:34

34Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Life comes in the same way to those who believe and to those who do not. But God’s people have a true King at the right hand of God, interceding for them. Those who believe this need only live diligently, thinking about how to make their way through the hardships of this life and how to show forth the glory of God.

God keeps turning the bow of the boat toward land, so that the faith of his people will not lose its way in the storm. So do not be afraid; pray for the storm to cease, and simply live a good life. If you watch only the rough waves and tremble with fear, you may fail to see Jesus coming to you across the wild sea. The disciples were so absorbed in their own distress that they forgot Jesus was at work on their behalf.

They thought of Jesus at work to complete God’s plan and Jesus at work in their daily lives as two separate things, and so even as they watched him walking toward them on the sea, they could not overcome their fear. When human fear wraps itself around us like this, we do not lean on the Lord who comes treading on the world’s waves; we give in to suffering instead.

Even so, though Jesus saw the disciples’ unbelief, he calmed the sea, to show them that Christ is the Creator who made the whole universe. Only after the waves had died down did the disciples confess that Jesus was the Son of God. But that confession came after they had seen a miracle, and so it was not an honest faith.

What kind of faith do you have now? Is it a mature faith that believes the suffering you are going through will pass in the end? Or, whenever suffering strikes, do you blame God and look only for people and ways to rescue you?

Is the ship of faith you are sailing in now safe in the storm? Darkness is falling — do you have the faith and wisdom to reach your destination? If you have a faith that can fight even when rough waves crash over you, you will be able to overcome, even when you cannot see Jesus.

Weak faith thinks of Jesus as no more than a rainbow hanging in the sky. Such people regard him as a god who exists for their sake only when things go well or their prayers are answered. But Jesus is not an illusion like the idols the world worships. He is not a rainbow that vanishes when the sun comes up; he is the Protector who stays at your side when the sun beats down, when the rain pours, and even when you are adrift alone on the open sea. Because they do not see the Lord who leads them out of the scorching sun to an oasis, and through the downpour to a way of escape, they throw tantrums, demanding that he block out the sun at once, and pray the foolish prayer that he stop the rain this very minute.

But those who believe that God will act, and who wait quietly and endure, will be kept under God’s protection, like the hidden seven thousand.

Matthew 22:4-6

4Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’ 5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, 6and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a marriage feast God prepared for the glory of his son. God prepared everything to perfection and sent his servants to invite people, but they all refused, for they did not know how precious a place the marriage feast of the Lamb was. Their excuses were that they had bought a field and were too busy to come, that they had oxen to look after, and that they had just married and could not accept the invitation. Every one of them said they could not come because they had worldly possessions to keep. Humanly speaking, this is entirely understandable.

But the marriage feast that brings us into heaven is not a matter of the perishable flesh; it is a matter of eternal life, and so we ought to think twice before we refuse. Not knowing what came first, those who were invited refused and let the opportunity slip away.

When God’s servant brought the news of the heavenly feast, people made all kinds of excuses. What is your reason for not coming to God? Perhaps it is the same as theirs.

To receive Jesus also means to leave behind the world you cherish and board the ark of salvation. You have left your property and your family behind and set out on the road of faith, so, afloat on the sea, you cannot look after them.

Now you must concentrate on fighting the fierce waves and reaching your destination. Then God himself will guard the possessions you have laid down in your heart for Christ’s sake. He will do so because he knows that you must be at peace to share the gospel, and that you need earthly things to sustain your life.

Take, for example, the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, which had taken their land east of the Jordan. For the sake of the other tribes they went out in front, crossed the Jordan, and entered Canaan. While they fought until the other tribes had taken possession of their land, God kept safe the families and livestock they had left behind. This is the peace God’s people enjoy in him. But if we cannot believe this, and set out on the road of faith with our hearts still tied to the world, the cares of this life will keep us from the marriage feast.

The war between Satan and God’s people is a fierce spiritual war fought in heaven and on earth at once. To win it, we must discern spiritually by the word, and we must have a great faith, like a warship that can take many souls aboard. When you believe that God will act and set out, poor in spirit, toward the Kingdom of God, you will grow to maturity.

Matthew 14:28

28Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.”

Peter had been terrified by the heaving waves, but when he saw Jesus walking toward them on the sea, he suddenly wanted to walk on the water himself. Peter’s moods swung more widely than the other disciples’. While Jesus was out of sight, the fierce waves had looked like death to him; but when he saw Jesus striding boldly across them, he thought that he could do it too. Jesus walks on the sea because he is the Creator who made the world; he can be present not only on the sea but in the air as well. But Peter could not walk on the sea simply because he wished to. He was a weak man who could stand on the sea only by relying wholly on Jesus, and only by his power. In the same way, to overcome the world we must depend wholly on God.

A moment before, the waves had looked like death to him, but at the sight of Jesus coming across the sea he was suddenly filled to overflowing, and said he would walk too. Faith, however, is not something we can show God by human emotion. Ours is a faith that can offer God even a feeble trust only when we resolve, ‘If I perish, I perish,’ and strive without ceasing. Had Peter relied on Jesus just a little more, he would have been the first person to walk on the sea with Jesus. But though Jesus stood right in front of him, when he saw the heaving waves fear seized him, and he sank into the sea. Jesus at once reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and rebuked him: ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’

Friends, we need a faith that trusts Jesus to the very end. When God’s people show their faith, Satan will shake the world’s sea all the harder; but if we look only at Jesus standing before us, we can walk even on the roughest waves.

Mark 5:7

7and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.”

Peter and Satan alike confessed to Jesus that he was the Son of God. Look at that, and you can see that a word known only in the head is nothing more than knowledge. Acts 2 records that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The saved here are those who strive to lay down human righteousness, who believe with the heart and so come to righteousness, and who confess with the mouth. ‘Whoever’ does not mean ‘anybody at all’; it means those who have received Christ.

Peter made the astonishing confession that Jesus was the Son of God, and still sinned by denying him three times; Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God and trembled with fear. Yet Peter, who denied Jesus three times, was saved, while Satan, who recognized Jesus and feared him, ended in the eternal lake of fire.

Why, then, the difference? In the end it comes down to who showed the deeds of faith according to God’s word. Faith works together with deeds, and through those deeds faith is made complete. Salvation is, of course, God’s sovereign choice and grace; but to know that Jesus is the Son of God and not do what Jesus Christ intended is not true faith. Professing belief in Jesus does not by itself make it faith; faith becomes the kind God approves when it is shown fully in action. To show faith through deeds, we need the discipline of bringing ourselves into submission according to the word, and the perseverance to keep striving to live by it.

James knew how hard it is to live by the word, yet he said that faith without works is not true faith, and longed for God’s people to live it out. Though Rome persecuted the church, its members showed deeds of faith, and the people around them called them Christians. Anyone can talk as if they were full of faith, but they will not be trusted if they do not show it in action. Persecuted as they were, the saints set an example of faith at the cost of their lives, and won from the world the name of Christians.

Those who show their faith in deeds are children who honor God. For that reason God will pour out power on them that they may preach the gospel with strength, and he will guard their lives.

Revelation 2:10

10Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.

If water is pouring into a boat and you idle instead of bailing it out, there is no escaping death. Just as those asleep when a ship goes down perish, those who sleep spiritually while the water of sin rises are bound to sink into death. If God’s people are slack and idle, defeat in the spiritual war is certain. People who show no faith in the midst of suffering do not give thanks even when their prayers are answered, nor do they display a holy life.

The Christians of the early church held fast to their faith even while Rome persecuted them. Knowing how precious the crown of life is, they were faithful to death and did not shrink even from martyrdom. But when Rome made Christianity the state religion, the persecution ended, and little by little the church began to take worship lightly and forgot how precious Christ is. After a victory won at such cost, how could they settle into ease? It is heartbreaking.

When the sea grows calm, we should row hard toward our destination and reach out a hand to pull those who have fallen into the sea into the boat. Yet human nature grows lazier the more comfortable it becomes, and lives for its own pleasure. Sinful by nature, people know that if they take a drowning person into their boat they will have to share what they have and their own space will shrink, and so they do not reach out, though they know that person is dying. That is why we must build the ship of our faith as large as a warship. Because a warship has plenty of food to share and no one aboard need fret about running short of room, it can put God’s command into practice.

But when the ship of our faith is small, we start bargaining with God. We haggle — if I share with others the spiritual food God has given me, what will you give me? — and so lay bare a hardened heart. It is my firm hope that you will sail boldly out onto the sea of the world with a faith like a warship, laden full with spiritual food.

A shallow brook makes a loud noise as it flows, but a deep river runs quietly. Immature people are like a little brook: at church or at home they are always clashing and complaining, and they give no peace to those around them. When suffering comes like a blazing sun, their hearts harden and the little faith they had dries up; because of that, God cannot use them. But just as a river flowing serenely nurtures countless lives without a sound, those whose faith has matured serve without a word and labor faithfully so that people may be saved.

Fishermen haul many fish from a quietly flowing river. And so that more life can thrive there, they will show their care by clearing away the rubbish dumped on the riverbed and digging it deeper. Only when you become a deep river can you be among the saints whom Jesus holds dear. For that, you must be patient, humble, and prayerful. If you, who know that heaven is your destination, do good by faith and set an example as God’s people, God will keep you to the very end.

If you stand on the rock of faith, God’s wisdom will show you Satan’s schemes ahead of time, and you can live the holy life of a saint. To those who have such holy faith, God will give abundant blessings, so that they are not put to shame in the world.

What God wants of you is only this: that you tell the beauty of heaven to people who look only at the world. Evangelism means sharing the word with everyone you meet along life’s road, urging them to believe in Christ and go to heaven with you, and showing them an example of love. May you follow the example of Jesus Christ, who set aside his throne and came to this earth, loving souls with the heart of Christ and showing them a holy faith.

If you set your home and your church on the rock of faith, with a faith that overcomes the world’s rough waves, and love God deeply, wisdom will come, and with it the strength to drive back Satan’s temptations and to endure the hardships of life. Only by having lived through such things with all our strength can we become holy people who do not sin. So, friends, let us take courage and pass through our trials.

God gives grace in still greater abundance to those who shine a bright light in the darkness. That grace is a blessing no one can take away, a blessed life that knows God’s grace day by day.

I earnestly hope that you will always lean on Jesus, who comes to you walking on the sea, and that with bold faith you will never let go of his hand.