“In life’s small things be resolute and great
To keep thy muscles trained; know’st thou when
Fate Thy measure takes? Or when she’ll say to thee,
‘I find thee worthy, do this thing for me?’”
It grieved Jesus to have his disciples fail in their faith. One reason was personal. The joy of being trusted is one of the holiest experiences that can come to any human heart. We do not understand the sweetest privilege of friendship until in some hour of need or weakness or sorrow our friend trusts us absolutely, leans upon us, as it were puts his very life into our hand. The opposite of this is the pain of not being trusted. It may not be through any lack of love, or lack of confidence in our character or strength, but only through fear; yet the failure of a friend to trust us, whatever the cause, hurts our heart.
Jesus was human, and these experiences of our own help us to understand his feeling when his disciples did not trust him. He was deeply grieved. We have an illustration in the story of Peter’s trying to walk on the water. For a time he walked calmly on the waves, and then he began to sink. Jesus reached out his hand and saved his disciple from drowning, and then chided him: “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Peter need not have failed in his venture of faith. If only he had not doubted he would not have failed.
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