WHEN FAITH FALTERS
By R. Herbert
Faith, like success, is a cumulative thing. The more we grow in faith, the more faith grows in us. But the other side of this coin is that when we feel that our faith wavers or lets us down at some specific point, we may continue to feel weak in faith long after. For some, the indication of a “weak point” in our faith becomes a matter of lasting discouragement; but need this be the case?
There are clear biblical examples of great heroes of the faith whose belief “cracked” temporarily, and yet those individuals went on to be listed in the Bible as true examples of faith. You may be surprised that one such person was Moses.
The Book of Numbers tells us that at a point during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness, at Meribah, there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. God told the two leaders to take the staff from the holy place in the tabernacle and to “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” (Numbers 20:8). Then Moses and Aaron “… gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out…” (Numbers 20:10-11).
But God was angry with Moses and Aaron for the way they handled this situation. The account does not tell us exactly why, but the fact that it is recorded Moses struck the rock twice indicates he may have doubted when nothing happened at first and then wavering, hit the rock again. Numbers tells us, in fact, that the incident involved a lack of faith on Moses’ part: “And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them’” (Numbers 20:12 ESV).
So in God’s estimation – not ours – Moses’ faith faltered and temporarily failed. As a result of the nature of the situation, God did pronounce a penalty on Moses, doubtless to drive the lesson home to him and to us. But this does not mean that once the faith of Moses faltered, he needed to be replaced or that his potential for faith-based living was gone. God continued to do great things through Moses’ leadership, and when we turn to the Book of Hebrews we find the statement “[Christ] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house” (Hebrews 3:2). The author of Hebrews actually quotes God who had said “My servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house” (Numbers 12:7). God had said this before Moses’ lack of faith at Meribah, yet God inspired the New Testament writer of Hebrews to record the same positive assessment long after Moses’ lifetime. Indeed, Moses is given a place of distinct honor in the great “Faith Hall of Fame” of Hebrews 11. That inspiring chapter assigns six specific acts of faith to Moses (Hebrews 11:24-28), but his failing of faith at Meribah is not mentioned. That should teach us that God is keeping track of our victories in faith – not our failures.
Another, and better known, example of this same principle is that of the apostle Peter. Three of the Gospel writers tell the story of how a storm came up as the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat. When Jesus appeared to them standing on the water, Peter exceeded his current level of “faith development” and asked Jesus: “‘Lord, if it’s you,’… ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come’, He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him…” (Matthew 14:28-31). Peter’s faith was good to a point, then cracked under the strain, as anyone’s might have under those circumstances; and although Jesus mildly rebuked him, saying: “’You of little faith ... why did you doubt?’” (vs. 31), this was not the end of Peter’s discipleship, of course. We know that Peter’s faith wavered and cracked again at the time of Jesus’ betrayal (John 18), but we know equally that Jesus still continued to work with him (John 21:15-17) – and we have only to read the Book of Acts to see that Peter went on to great acts of faith after these failures.
God knows that our faith, like that of Moses and Peter, can, and certainly does, waver at times; but if we are walking regularly in the way of belief and seeking His faith, the Bible makes it clear that God looks at the overall picture, not the isolated event, as in every aspect of life. The truth is that God does not balance the ups and downs of our faith like a check book. Even after instances of failure, He helps us to continue to grow our faith as one of the greatest investments in His purpose for us – because faith, like success, is a cumulative thing.
By R. Herbert
Faith, like success, is a cumulative thing. The more we grow in faith, the more faith grows in us. But the other side of this coin is that when we feel that our faith wavers or lets us down at some specific point, we may continue to feel weak in faith long after. For some, the indication of a “weak point” in our faith becomes a matter of lasting discouragement; but need this be the case?
There are clear biblical examples of great heroes of the faith whose belief “cracked” temporarily, and yet those individuals went on to be listed in the Bible as true examples of faith. You may be surprised that one such person was Moses.
The Book of Numbers tells us that at a point during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness, at Meribah, there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. God told the two leaders to take the staff from the holy place in the tabernacle and to “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” (Numbers 20:8). Then Moses and Aaron “… gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out…” (Numbers 20:10-11).
But God was angry with Moses and Aaron for the way they handled this situation. The account does not tell us exactly why, but the fact that it is recorded Moses struck the rock twice indicates he may have doubted when nothing happened at first and then wavering, hit the rock again. Numbers tells us, in fact, that the incident involved a lack of faith on Moses’ part: “And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them’” (Numbers 20:12 ESV).
So in God’s estimation – not ours – Moses’ faith faltered and temporarily failed. As a result of the nature of the situation, God did pronounce a penalty on Moses, doubtless to drive the lesson home to him and to us. But this does not mean that once the faith of Moses faltered, he needed to be replaced or that his potential for faith-based living was gone. God continued to do great things through Moses’ leadership, and when we turn to the Book of Hebrews we find the statement “[Christ] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house” (Hebrews 3:2). The author of Hebrews actually quotes God who had said “My servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house” (Numbers 12:7). God had said this before Moses’ lack of faith at Meribah, yet God inspired the New Testament writer of Hebrews to record the same positive assessment long after Moses’ lifetime. Indeed, Moses is given a place of distinct honor in the great “Faith Hall of Fame” of Hebrews 11. That inspiring chapter assigns six specific acts of faith to Moses (Hebrews 11:24-28), but his failing of faith at Meribah is not mentioned. That should teach us that God is keeping track of our victories in faith – not our failures.
Another, and better known, example of this same principle is that of the apostle Peter. Three of the Gospel writers tell the story of how a storm came up as the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat. When Jesus appeared to them standing on the water, Peter exceeded his current level of “faith development” and asked Jesus: “‘Lord, if it’s you,’… ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come’, He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him…” (Matthew 14:28-31). Peter’s faith was good to a point, then cracked under the strain, as anyone’s might have under those circumstances; and although Jesus mildly rebuked him, saying: “’You of little faith ... why did you doubt?’” (vs. 31), this was not the end of Peter’s discipleship, of course. We know that Peter’s faith wavered and cracked again at the time of Jesus’ betrayal (John 18), but we know equally that Jesus still continued to work with him (John 21:15-17) – and we have only to read the Book of Acts to see that Peter went on to great acts of faith after these failures.
God knows that our faith, like that of Moses and Peter, can, and certainly does, waver at times; but if we are walking regularly in the way of belief and seeking His faith, the Bible makes it clear that God looks at the overall picture, not the isolated event, as in every aspect of life. The truth is that God does not balance the ups and downs of our faith like a check book. Even after instances of failure, He helps us to continue to grow our faith as one of the greatest investments in His purpose for us – because faith, like success, is a cumulative thing.