Simply Believe

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Matthew 16:13-16

I have been a sports fan since I was five years old.  That was when I watched what would become my favorite team win the football championship.  The next year, they would win the championship again.  It has been over forty years since they have won the championship.  One might think that someone would become cynical after all that time passing, and it would be ridiculous to actually believe they would win again.  Others might take the approach that each year is one year close to the year they will win it again.  I tend to believe the latter although many would question my senility for doing so.  If you are a football fan in Detroit, you would probably fall into the former.  However, the best thing about being a fan is that you always have hope that one day and for maybe one magical year, everything will change, and the team you root for will win that final game.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we know that we have victory in the end.  Our goal is to maintain this belief understanding there will be many who will question this.  Today’s verses looks into the discussion between Christ and His disciples as to whom He truly is.  First Jesus asks what others say.  Note that the disciples give various answers as to what others say, but when He asks them directly, only Peter jumps in.  It is fascinating to read this because when asked about what others say, everyone chimes in, but when asked directly, only one is mentioned.  Why?  Could it be that maybe they had the mindset of many of the fans who had doubts their team would ever win?  Maybe they had the approach saying, “You know?  I’ve been hearing about this ‘Messiah’ for so long, and people have waited for years.  In spite of the many miracles I have been witness to, why should I believe this person now?”  Well one of them, Peter, jumped into the pool feet first saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  He left little doubt as to what he believed, and it is no surprise that Jesus stated that He would build His church on Peter.

We too have a choice as to what we believe.  We may not have felt the presence of God in our lives for a bit or maybe we prayed for something that did not go our way.  Neither of these are reasons to have doubts as to who God is or His existence.  In fact, it could be a test where God is helping you grow, a worldly deception you must differentiate, or some combination of both.  No matter the circumstance, our faith must endure.  We must truly walk by faith, and have a never ending belief that God is who He said He is.

It is a comfort to know that Jesus Christ is on our side.  We have blessed assurance that He is forever our protector and defender.  No matter what we may be feeling and enduring, we must never lose faith that He will carry us through our times of struggle.  That’s what our Messiah will do, and if we believe as Peter did, we have nothing to fear.  What doubts do you need God’s assurance in?  How can you reaffirm your belief as to who God is?  My prayer is that we take God’s word and truths to our hearts and plain and as Peter unabashedly did, simply believe.  Amen.