“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
There’s a certain hush that comes over us when life turns uncertain—when the place where we once stood firm suddenly feels as if it’s shifting beneath our feet. Perhaps you know that feeling, too.
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)
How familiar are those words to anyone who’s ever glimpsed a ray of hope but then felt the chill of fear settle in. This is not just Peter’s story—it’s deeply, tenderly our own.
I don’t read these words as a scolding anymore. Not the way I might have in other seasons of my life when my faith felt thin and I questioned God’s love for me.
Between the Storm and the Miracle
Lately, through a new path of Biblical Counseling and deeper discipling that I’ve stepped into, I’ve been seeing verses like this through a softer, truer lens. The more I sit across from someone who is hurting, the more I realize how tender Jesus’ voice must have been that day on the waves. I imagine Him reaching out—steady and strong, eyes full of love, not condemnation—drawing Peter up from his own sinking.
You of little faith…
There is no shame in those words. Only an invitation to trust again.
In the quiet of counseling sessions, I’ve begun to notice how often our hearts echo Peter’s hesitation. We step out in obedience, full of hope, but then the wind rises. The waves slap against our ankles. And suddenly, we are drowning in questions.
Why did you doubt?
Not a rebuke, but a whisper: Why did you doubt my goodness? Why did you doubt my nearness?
I see it in myself too. I’m venturing into new territory with this call to Biblical Counseling—learning to hold space for others, to listen for the Spirit’s nudge, to pray words that aren’t polished but real. Some days I feel steady. Other days, I feel small and unsure, my own waves rising fast.
But then I look up, and there He is, hand outstretched.
Maybe you’re standing in your own storm right now. Maybe you’ve stepped out bravely, only to feel like you’re sinking. Let these words fall softly on your heart today: You of little faith, why did you doubt?
Not an accusation.
An embrace.
An invitation to trust Him again.
Even in your small faith.
Even in your messy, tender steps.
Even in this very moment.
We are not called to walk perfectly on the water.
We are called to look at the One who does.
And from there, one unsteady step at a time, we learn—together—what it means to live inside His grace.