7. When Faith Falters
Faith grows in a cumulative manner; failure does not … The Book of Hebrews contains some of the Bible's most encouraging statements regarding faith, but it also contains some cautions. One of those cautions is found in Hebrews 10:38: "Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him" (NKJV). The writer of Hebrews then continues: "But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved" (Hebrews 10:39).
Those are inspiring and encouraging words – as long as our faith is doing well. But every disciple of Jesus Christ comes to realize that our faith, just like our love or any other spiritual quality, doesn't always run at "100% operating potential." In fact, occasionally we may even experience a "failure of faith" in some aspect of our lives. The shadow of doubt may only fall on us for a while; but for some, even a temporary failure of faith can become a matter of lasting discouragement.
But it doesn't need to be that way. There are clear biblical examples of servants of God whose belief "cracked" temporarily, and yet those individuals went on to be listed in the Bible as examples of true and lasting faith. You may be surprised that one such person was Moses. Moses at Meribah
At one point during the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness, at Meribah, there was no water for the community, and the people rose in opposition to Moses and Aaron. God told the two leaders to take the staff from the holy place in the tabernacle and to "Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water" (Numbers 20:8). Then Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock and when Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, water gushed out (Numbers 20:10-11).
But God was angry with Moses and Aaron for the way they handled this situation. The account does not tell us exactly why, but the fact that it is recorded that Moses struck the rock twice indicates he may have doubted when nothing happened at first and then, wavering, hit the rock again. Numbers actually tells us that the incident involved a failure of faith on Moses' part: "And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them'" (Numbers 20:12 ESV).
So in God's estimation – not ours – Moses' faith faltered and temporarily failed. But this did not mean that Moses needed to be replaced or that his potential for faith-based service was gone. God continued to do great things through Moses' leadership, and when we turn to the Book of Hebrews we find that he is given a place of distinct honor in the great "Faith Hall of Fame" of Hebrews 11. That inspiring chapter assigns six specific acts of faith to Moses (Hebrews 11:24-28), but his failing of faith at Meribah is not mentioned. That should teach us that God, who inspired the writer of Hebrews, is keeping track of our victories of faith – not our failures. John at Journey's End
Another amazing example of faltering faith that clearly did not indicate spiritual failure is seen in the life of John the Baptist – while he was imprisoned and facing execution. Perhaps discouraged and experiencing doubt, John sent to Jesus to ask him if he really were the promised Messiah (Matthew 11). Rather than chastise John for his doubt, Jesus pointed to the miracles and signs that he was doing and thus the answer to John's doubt. But there is an important part of this story we must not miss. It was at that exact point in time – just as John admitted his doubt – that Jesus then told his disciples "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). It was at precisely the moment of John's greatest doubt that Jesus called him the greatest among men. Clearly, God knows it is human to doubt, and he is willing and desirous to point us to the answers to those doubts without it affecting his estimation of our dedication to him. Peter Standing on the Sea
A final and better known example of faltering faith is that of the apostle Peter. We all know the story, told in three of the Gospels, of how the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat when Jesus appeared to them standing on the water. It was at that point that Peter exceeded his own level of "faith development" and asked Jesus: "'Lord, if it's you … tell me to come to you on the water.' 'Come', he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him…" (Matthew 14:28-31 ESV).
Peter's faith was good to a point, but then it cracked under the strain, as anyone's might do under those circumstances. Yet although Jesus mildly rebuked him, saying: "You of little faith … why did you doubt?" (vs. 31), this was not the end of Peter's discipleship. We know that Peter's faith wavered and cracked again at the time of Jesus' betrayal (John 18), but we know equally that Jesus still continued to work with him (John 21:15-17) – and we have only to read the Book of Acts to see that Peter went on to great acts of faith after these failures (Acts 3:1-10, etc.). The Investment of Faith
The God who knows our hearts knows that our faith, like that of Moses, John and Peter, can and certainly may waver at times. But if we are regularly walking in the Way of belief and seeking his help, the Bible makes it clear that just as he does in every other aspect of life, God looks at the overall picture of our faith, beyond any isolated failures. Put simply, God does not balance the ups and downs of our faith like a check book – he helps us grow faith like a savings account. Even after we experience a temporary failure or setback, God is still desirous to continue to strengthen and develop our faith according to his purpose.
It's one of the most encouraging things we can learn about the path of faith every disciple must walk: that if we keep with it, our faith grows in a cumulative manner (2 Thessalonians 1:3). We must certainly heed the biblical warnings against losing faith, but if we do not give up, faith grows through time – and the more we grow in faith, the more faith grows in us.