Discerning our Doubt

"But when he [Peter] 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?" (Matthew 14:30,31). 

When Peter walked upon the sea

With confidence in Christ's command,

He had received ability

Upon the water then to stand. 

The Lord has given this account

So we may thereby exercise

(When storms of life around us mount)

The principles that faith applies. 

Like Peter who began to sink

Because the wind was boisterous,

A storm may change the way we think

When we forget Who's holding us. 

When Peter cried in his despair,

How quickly then our Lord drew near,

And so we're taught to lift our prayer

To God who saves us from our fear. 

Yet in the question of our Lord

Addressed to Peter (and us all),

We see our shameful doubt explored,

Acknowledging our faith is small. 

"O thou of little faith," Christ said,

Then asked him, "Wherefore didst thou doubt?"

Alas, he looked at wind instead,

And thus we also are found out!

Our Savior never turned His glance

Away from Peter on that night,

But Peter looked at circumstance

And thus displaced his faith with fright. 

 

Lord, thank You for the lessons learned,

In times of peace as well as strife,

When faith and doubt are thus discerned

Through every circumstance of life.