THE CRISIS OF FAITH

There is an old story; I forget where I first heard it, about a gathering of people listening to recitations of the 23rd Psalm. One man everyone wanted to hear recite was a well known actor with a deep melodious voice. He wasn’t a particularly spiritual man but he appreciated the Psalm and was happy to comply. He stood and delivered it beautifully and everyone was duly impressed. But then a very old gentleman, one with no real skill at public speaking but a man whom everyone respected, was also urged to recite. He slowly rose to his feet and in a quiet voice quoted the Psalm from memory. As he spoke a hush fell over the room, a silence and peace no one wanted to disturb even after he sat down. Finally the actor spoke the truth everyone knew: “I know the Psalm. He knows the Shepherd.”

Over the years I’ve come in contact with many people who are like the actor in the story. They say things like this: “I’ve read the Bible. The teachings of Jesus are brilliant. I like the idea of going to heaven when I die. As far as religion is concerned I check the “Christian” box on official forms. But this whole idea of a relationship with God is beyond me. I know other people experience it. I believe they are genuine. But I don’t seem to be able to have it myself. I have a lot of doubts.”

I was thinking about friends like that – wondering and praying about how I could help them find what was missing - when, in my regular reading, I came to Luke 5:1-11. It’s the story of the calling of the first disciples. Jesus is seated in Simon’s boat, teaching. He finishes, turns to Simon and says, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Now Simon was an experienced fisherman, a concrete, rational business man if there ever was one. He was also tired. He and his partners had fished all night without a catch. He was also proud and very self-sufficient, as later episodes would show. He had every reason ignore Jesus' suggestion. What Jesus was asking wasn’t rational. Peter could have cited a dozen reasons why it wouldn’t work.

But here’s the thing, it wasn’t about the fish. It was about Peter’s faith. Jesus was precipitating a crisis in Peter’s life, purposefully, intentionally, meaningfully pushing him to choose between Peter’s will, Peter’s intelligence, Peter’s experience and knowledge and Jesus’ command. The question was not really: would they catch any fish? The question was: would Peter obey?

Peter did obey and the rest, as they say, is history. They caught so many fish that the boats began to sink. But again, it isn’t about the fish. It’s about what happened inside of Peter. “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” he said. In other words, Peter now knew Jesus on a whole new level, knew Jesus as God’s anointed, because when the crisis came to choose obedience over experience, to put Jesus will over Peter’s, Peter in faith obeyed. Life was never the same for Peter after that day.

The ability to experience a living relationship with God through his Son Jesus Christ and by the presence of the Holy Spirit within does not depend on a blind leap of faith, far from it. It depends on how we respond to Jesus when he calls us to that moment of crisis. And call he will. Perhaps he already has in your life. Perhaps you’ve had many crises with Jesus and, like the rich young ruler in another story, “went away very sad…” without submitting, never knowing the incredible peace and power that comes from a relationship with God. My prayer for you is that the next time he brings you to that moment of crisis you will like Peter obey. I promise you, your life will never be the same.