As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. Luke 8:23 (NIV)
Have you noticed how often Christians experience dramatic growth in a time of crisis? When we face a crisis, our faith gets taken out of storage and put to work.
That is the point of Jesus’ question: “Where is your faith?” He is saying, You know Me and believe in Me. You know I am with you. Now you find yourself in trouble. Why aren’t you applying your faith to this situation? If you don’t apply your faith to life’s challenges, then you will suffer from diminished growth, which is the root of many people’s doubts.
You have faith, and you are grateful for it. You even polish it up on Sundays. But then there is what you think of as your real life. Perhaps your everyday life consists of contracts, lawsuits, and stock markets. Or maybe it is filled with diapers, sporting events, and school functions. Or maybe your everyday life is about homework, sports, and dating.
If you don’t use your faith in everyday life, it will not be long before you begin to question its relevance. You have not lost your faith. You simply have not used it.
Faith is like a muscle—if it is not used, it will atrophy. Maybe you spend time every day exercising certain muscles you want to develop. You say, “I haven’t run for a week and I feel the difference.” If a week goes by without exercising faith, you will notice a difference. The longer you go without using faith, the greater the danger that you forget how to use faith altogether.
If you have ever broken a leg and been unable to use it for a time, you know you need to work hard to rebuild the muscle that has been weakened by prolonged inactivity. The physical therapist will work with you to rebuild what has been lost through lack of use.
How would you describe the condition of your faith? Weak? Strong? Out of shape? Sore? Other?
