Day 29

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! Luke 12:28

The more confident we are in the object of our faith, the less conscious we are of the exercise of our faith. If I had plans to drive a beat-up old Chevy across the country, someone would probably say to me, 'You must have a lot of faith'. The reason they talk about my faith is because they do not trust the Chevy! On the other hand, if I planned to drive a brand new, fully loaded BMW across the country, no one would way a word about my faith! The reality is I would have a lot more faith in the BMW than the beat-up Chevy, but no one would think about it, because the more confident we are in the object of our faith, the less conscious we are of the exercise of faith.

When we are impressed with someone exercising great faith, we are really saying we do not think too much of their God, which is why we are impressed they actually do! When the disciples asked Jesus to 'Increase our faith,' they were not saying anything about themselves, but about their uncertainty of Christ. After Pentecost when Peter was instrumental in healing a crippled man at the temple gate in Jerusalem, a crowd gathered around, filled with wonder and amazement. Peter stood up and said, "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you" (Acts 3.12). Peter is virtually saying, "I don't understand the fuss… The God of Abraham has glorified his servant his servant Jesus."

Peter now knew God, and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, to an extent that the working of God was no longer a surprise to him. In fact, to Peter it was now inevitable. Back in the gospels, Peter looked at Jesus like an old chevy, impressive but you need a lot of faith to trust Him. So, he walked on the water for a few steps, but then sank. He promised to stand with Jesus, but under pressure denied him. But now He knows him in a way He never did before, so is more surprised by the people's amazement, "Why does this surprise you?," than by the fact God has worked a miracle.