When Going to Jesus is NOT Faith

Many conservative Christians would not believe that there are times when Jesus does NOT want us coming to Him. There are times as believers that we should not go to Jesus with our problem.

Hold on. Surely all those hymns, sermons, greeting cards, and cross-stitched pillows about 1 Peter 5:7, the ones that encourage us to cast all our cares upon Him, they can't be wrong! Well, maybe we've missed something...

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Jesus and the guys were sailing across the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-25). Jesus was sleeping. The man was tired, and that's important to remember....he was a man. His nap was interrupted by his disciples. They were freaking out because they were stuck in a storm that was filling the boat and threatening to sink them. How tired did Jesus have to be that it required both a storm and men shaking him to wake up? (It sounds like waking up my son in the morning!)

In their time of need, the disciples came to Jesus. That's what we're supposed to do, right? But if we pay close attention to the story, we'll see he got on their cases for coming to Him. But we'll get back to that.

Many Christians treat faith or belief as a purely inward, mental attitude. Yet, no where in the Bible is faith or belief defined as a mere sentiment or opinion. Faith always involved action.

Most of us hold on to sentiments, not beliefs. Beliefs hold us, we do not hold them. Belief (faith) manifests itself in daily life in what we think, say, and do. Belief (faith) is not reserved only to be expressed in religious services or ceremonies. Belief in Christ is only real when it changes both our character and what we do.

Back to the storm:

So, the disciples came to Jesus in their time of need. Isn't that what we tell people to do? Yet, Jesus got on their case for it. After calming the storm, he asked them, "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25). Jesus was NOT asking them where they had placed their faith. That was obvious since they came to Him. No, instead, He was asking them where was a demonstration of their faith. Their actions did not demonstrate faith.

Jesus was teaching them that THEY should have calmed the storm! They should have been the answer to their prayer. Jesus was fully God and fully man, but we have been trying to argue for Jesus' divinity for so long that we have forgotten his humanity. Jesus didn't pull his divine superpower out of his pocket to perform this miracle, even though he could have. 

Jesus' ministry more often demonstrated what it meant to walk in total faith - faith in God the Father's power. Faith, that when acted upon, God used to heal, cast out demons, calm storms, teach with authority, and more. The disciples had access to this faith. They were human, not divine, yet, they went out teaching, casting out demons, and healing various diseases. Faith is taking the risk to act upon what God has called us to do.

I say risk, because it feels like a risk. What if Peter stood up in the boat and stopped the disciples from waking Jesus, then turned and rebuked the storm and nothing happened? He would have lost honor and in their culture, that would be equivalent to us getting demoted at work or losing our job. 

What if I talk to that coworker about my faith and they think I'm weird? 
What if I feel led out of concern to ask them about a struggle their having so I can offer help, will they think I'm nosy and weird? 
What if I stand up for what's right when everyone else would rather take an easier, and immoral, approach? What will they think about me? 
What if I go on that mission trip, will I be safe? 
I don't feel like I have anything to offer, how can I serve others in the church?

But in the end, it doesn't matter what the risks are if we are truly relying on God's power and plan instead of our own. If Peter stood to calm the storm and was trusting in God's power to do it and not his own, the storm would have ceased. God's power never fails. 

Very often, we are the vessel God wants to use to answer our prayers or the prayers of others. We are the vessel God wants to use to calm the storms of life.

Faith means we listen to God speak into our lives through Scripture and prayer and then we act on what He has spoken, no matter the risk. Then, when we cast our cares upon Him, we are ready to act on our faith without being weighed down by anxiety. We will be humble as we know it is His power, not ours. We'll be able to think clearly, resist evil, and endure anything (1 Peter 5:6-11).