One of the ways God helps us to grow our faith is by allowing us to go through challenging situations. We need to have something to look forward to and believe God for, otherwise our faith stays in one place. In Mark 6:45-51, we’re told that ‘Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him’ (v. 45 NIV). When a storm came up in the night, the disciples had to row through it for hours, until Jesus walked across the water to meet them. As soon as He climbed into the boat, the storm died down. We can learn a lot from this. Jesus allowed His disciples to go off into the storm. He didn’t prevent them from facing it. Jesus also knew the right time to step in - the disciples had been rowing virtually all night before He calmed everything. He was teaching them to follow His instruction and trust Him even when things were difficult. He teaches us too, allowing us to experience just the right amount of challenge to stretch us and encourage our faith to grow. Nineteenth-century American preacher and abolitionist Phillips Brooks wrote, ‘Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your power, pray for power equal to your tasks.’ We don’t experience the extent of God’s resources until we try to do something that seems impossible. That’s when we discover: ‘I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power’ (Philippians 4:13 TLB). So when a seemingly impossible situation comes along, try to recognise it for what it is: an opportunity from God to grow your faith.

What now?
Is there a situation that you’re feeling intimidated by? Tell God about it, and ask Him to help you grow your faith and strength to meet the task He’s asking you to do.