Where is our faith? In the midst of obstacles and so much tribulation, we need to stop and remember that God is above all things. We shouldn’t have no doubt, what we must have is the conviction of our faith.
In times of disease and pandemics, we act out of fear rather than faith! We are paralyzed and forget that God is in control. However, this doesn’t happen only in these days of illness and crisis. Whenever we have an obstacle, we tend to be afraid.
We need to talk about the fear that makes us forget the fact that God is in control of all things.
Doubt can create fear
Once, when I was around 9 years old, I was riding a bicycle with my brother in a square. Suddenly, I realized that I was pedaling towards a branch that, in the eyes of a 9 year old boy, was gigantic. I was in doubt if I could face that obstacle. I was afraid and slowed down, but I couldn’t get out of the way and when I got to the branch, I fell off the bike and got hurt.
If I had had the courage and the conviction that I could do it, I could have gone over the branch without any problem. However, I let the doubt turn into fear, which paralyzed me and as a consequence, I took home a grate on my knee.
In the same way it happens in our spiritual walk. When we encounter an obstacle, we are often frightened and let fear paralyze us. We forget that the Lord is in control of the situation, that it was He who brought us to where we are.
We lose confidence and faith in His plans and, as a result, we end up getting hurt!
Peter was afraid
“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?””
Matthew 14: 30-31
Peter had the courage to get out of the boat to meet Jesus walking on the water. However, when he stopped to notice the context, he had no faith and sank. He looked around and got afraid. He took his eyes off Jesus and sank.
When we take our eyes off Jesus and look around or at the obstacle we need to face, doubt takes over us and with fear we begin to sink into our worries.
When we lose faith and take our lives out of the way of Christ, we get hurt badly. However, Christ will always be there with his arms outstretched to reach us, pull us back to the surface and put us back on His way.
Have faith!
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11: 1
The opposite of doubt is faith, certainty, security, conviction. We need to understand that faith is essential, especially in times of difficulty.
If we have walked in God’s will and are where we are, it is because the Lord wanted us there. Therefore, we need to have faith that the Lord’s plans for us are perfect and act with that assurance. Faith and obedience go together. Abraham in faith would obey God’s request and offer his son Isaac as an offering (Hebrews 11:17), Abraham by faith obeyed and left for another land, when God called him (Hebrews 11: 8).
In times of pandemic, of doubts and uncertainties about the coming days, as we are living now, let us put our hopes in what the Lord has in store for us and do our part.
Do your part: pray not only for your country, but for the whole world that is experiencing this difficulty; take care of yourself and those you love; check out news portals and health websites for more information and how to take precautions!
Grace and Peace.
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