How God Develops Faith — E.A. Johnston

The Prayer for a Life of Faith

Years ago, I asked God to develop my faith, and to make me a man of faith. I had no idea at the time what storms and what tribulations lay ahead, what afflictions I would have to pass through to enter into the reality of that prayer.

If I could have looked into the future and seen what was coming ahead, I would have shrunk back from it. My message today, friends, is on the life of faith. Perhaps some of you are going through a hard time in your life.

The Disciples Caught in a Sudden Storm

A storm has hit you and shaken your world. We will look today at how the disciples of Jesus ended up in the midst of an overwhelming storm that came suddenly upon them and placed them in the midst of danger and bewilderment.

The title of my message today, friends, is How God Develops Faith. And my text can be found in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 8. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 23 through 27.

And let me read us a striking passage of Scripture at this time. Here now is the Word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of His Holy Word. And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.

And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Let me pause here, friends, to say this. Here is Jesus in His humanity, so exhausted from His tremendous labors that He can sleep soundly in the midst of a raging storm.

Jesus Christ Fully God and Fully Man

Someone once asked me, Was Jesus 50 man and 50 God? I replied, No, Jesus was 100 God and 100 man. And the man Jesus was tired and needed rest. And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish.

And He saith unto them, Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

A Great Storm and the Reality of Spiritual Danger

Now there are several aspects I would like to draw out from our text today, friends, as you would draw a fishing net out of the sea full of fish. I want us to see a great storm, a great danger, a great distress, a great God, and a great calm.

Let's look at this first aspect of a great storm. This was no ordinary thunderstorm. The Greek word for tempest suggests a storm of hurricane proportions, where literally the waves were 5 to 10 feet high, crashing like crumbling walls all around them and upon them.

The force of the wind could have been 60 to 70 miles an hour. It was a very violent and dangerous storm, quite possibly produced by Satan to do away with the sleeping Jesus. Our text states it was a great tempest in the sea.

A Great Danger and Human Helplessness

Number two, a great danger. The danger to the little boat and the men aboard was a real and present danger. They were placed in an extraordinary extremity that fell suddenly and violently upon them. Perhaps some of you know of something of being thrust into a dire circumstance that's beyond your control.

I remember a tornado came barreling down my street one evening, and it sounded like there were 100 men on my roof pounding with heavy hammers. All you could do was to huddle down and pray for God's mercy and protection.

Here are the disciples. They are grown men. Seaworthy veterans are among them. And the storm is so bad it fills them with terror, which brings us to our next point, a great distress. So great was their distress that they turned to Jesus in their helplessness.

A Great Distress That Turns to Christ

They awakened Him with a cry of, Lord, save us, we perish. For they surely thought they were going to die. The storm was beyond their control and strength. They admitted their helplessness to Jesus and made Him sensible of the urgency of their extremity.

The Great God Who Commands the Storm

Now look at the next point, friends, a great God. The text says in verse 26,. Then He arose. The great God of the universe arose. Yes, Jesus was 100 man and 100 divine. The divine now takes over and He rebukes the winds and the sea as He exercises His authority over them.

The Great Calm at Christ's Command

This brings us to our next and last point, a great calm. The raging sea collapses at His voice. The rolling waves that are great walls around them flatten out like you'd unroll a Turkish carpet. All is still.

All is calm. God is there in their midst. Why, He'd been there all the time. That's why He questions them while He's still laying down with the words, Why are ye so fearful? He's talking to them while He's still laying on His back.

Then He says, O ye of little faith. Then He arose and performed His miracle. But you said, preacher, that the great calm was the next to our last point. You only listed five points. That's because, friends, like Jesus at the wedding in Cana, I've saved the best till last.

How Christ Develops Little Faith into Great Faith

Here is the main thrust of my message. That among all these great things, a great storm, a great danger, a great distress, a great God, a great calm, there exists a little thing, a little faith. If we merely think that Christ is rebuking them for waking Him because of their little faith, we miss the whole point of the story.

Jesus acknowledged their little faith. After all, they had enough confidence in God to know Jesus could and would rescue them from their great danger. They had seen Him perform miracles before they believed in Him.

Jesus acknowledges their little faith as the Master Teacher would develop their faith. Their little faith would eventually grow into a big faith. The voice that chimes in, Lord, save us, we perish, would one day boldly proclaim, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, meaning His faith.

Give I thee, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. How God develops faith, friends, in each of us is similar to how He developed it in His men. Every trial, every tribulation, every affliction is how God develops faith in His followers.

He knows when our faith is little and He knows how to strengthen it and grow it in each one of us. Well, we've seen five great things today and one little thing that astounds even the angels in heaven and that is our faith in an unseen God.

Let us pray.