Trusting God, even when it doesn’t make sense!
Matthew 14:22-32

I am sure you have heard many sermons or lessons about faith, trusting God.  The Bible is filled with passages about trusting God, We all may profess to trust God but our actions don’t reflect it.  Why is trusting God so hard at times?  It doesn’t come naturally; it requires us to not be in control at times and most of us don’t like that.  Trusting God goes against our reasoning; it goes against our comfort. Therefore it’s hard.  Would you trust God even when it doesn’t make sense?

This is how I would define faith.  Faith is to trust God even when it doesn’t make sense.

If you did a study from the Old Testament to the New, you will find that God told people to do some crazy things that defiled logic and human reason; things that went against their very instincts and feelings.

Abraham, God called him to abandon with family, his country, to leave everything behind to a land that God will show him later on.  That just didn’t make sense, to leave your family behind to go to a place that you have not even seen yet.  Abraham trusted God even when it didn’t make sense to him. (Gn.12)

A widow in Zarephath (I kings 17:7-16) during the time of drought.  When Elijah met her, she was collecting sticks to start a fire and cook the last meal for her and her son.  Elijah asked her for water and something to eat. She said I don’t have anything baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug and now I am collecting sticks to fix our last meal so we may die.   And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread of what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. (v.13)   For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says:  The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land. (14)  This just didn’t make sense, to fix something for you first, not even my son, after I just told you my situation.  She trusted the word of the Lord and she had abundance flour and oil throughout the drought.

Jesus just got done feeding 5 thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish.  The disciples witnessed this incredible miracle.  Jesus tells the disciples to get in the boat and go across while he would dismiss the crowd.  Jesus stays behind dismissing the crowd, the he goes by himself to pray.  About 3 in the morning the disciples were about the middle of the lake and Jesus comes walking on the water.  They thought they had seen a ghost.  Read. Matthew 14:22-31

Jesus said to them.  Take courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.

If you trust me, you won’t be afraid.

Peter said, “Lord if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water”

Jesus said come!
Jesus just told Peter to forget about the laws of reason or logic.  We know for a fact that people don’t walk on water; we were not given that capacity.  Jesus is saying don’t trust your instincts, your feelings, your heart, but trust me. Come!  Don’t think too much, just trust me now, even when what I am telling you to do doesn’t make sense to you.

Peter trusted Jesus even when it went against his own reasoning and he stepped out of the bout, on the water and began to walk toward Jesus.  Peter was able to walk on water as long as he continued to trust in Jesus. 

Verse 30 Then Peter saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink.  Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at the circumstances, the wind, and the waves around him. Then he was afraid.  He doubted.  He stopped trusting Jesus at that time.  When you are afraid of something in this life, you are not trusting God with that very thing.  When you are afraid of what the future holds for you, you are not trusting Jesus.

Many times people forfeit God’s blessings because of their lack of trust.
At times your faith is big enough to get out the boat because Jesus says so; you start walking but then you get distracted and you begin to sink in life’s ocean.  You start to gasp for air all due to the situation you are in.  This is what happens when we stop trusting Jesus.  Our circumstances will drown us, fear will creep in and all this happens because at that particular moment you took your eyes off Jesus; you were not looking at him, you looked at the situation, the problem, the conflict, etc.  You doubted,

You have to trust Jesus even when it doesn’t make sense all the way to complete our faith journey.

Our journey requires that we keep our eyes focused on Jesus at all times even when it doesn’t make sense.  Even when there are other things around us.  God is calling you to trust him with your life.  If you are still fearful about the outcome, about tomorrow, then you are not trusting him.

My brother was bleeding to death on the operating table about 11 years ago.  The nurse came rushing out of there to inform my father that the condition was critical, he wasn’t going to make it; my father told the nurse he will make it, don’t worry.  The nurse thought my dad was crazy, how can you be so calm when I just told you the situation.  It just doesn’t make sense for you to be calm in the midst of this trial.  My father trusted God even when it didn’t make sense.  My brother lives in Chicago now and sings for the glory of God.

Jeremiah says that blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

When Jesus invites you to do something crazy, like stepping out of the boat and walk toward him, are you going to trust him?

Man says show me and I’ll trust you.  God says trust me and I’ll show you.
Abraham got the land because he trusted God, the widow had plenty of food through the drought because she trusted the word of the Lord.  Peter walked on water because he trusted the one who told him to get out of the boat.  Imagine what kind of blessings you could receive if you just trusted God even when it seems crazy to you.  This is what true faith is!