07/08/2026
MEMORY VERSE FOR SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2026
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31)
Our memory verse for this Sunday comes from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus' disciples encountered chaos as they were crossing the Sea of Galilee shortly after the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. The passage recounts the miracle of Jesus walking on water and Peter's courageous request to join Him.
After reassuring the disciples that it was truly Him and not a ghost, Peter asked Jesus to let him walk on the water and his request was granted. At first, he managed to step out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. However, when he noticed the strong wind, fear overcame him and he began to sink. In that moment of desperation he cried out, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30). This leads us to verse 31 where Jesus, after saving Peter, gently rebukes him saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31).
This situation reflects a reality many of us may have experienced, though of course not everyone. We often find that when life is smooth, when we are happy, abundant, and in good health, we are very eager to praise God with all our hearts. However, when life gets tough, when challenges arise, problems come one after another, our faith in God wavers. We may start to question Him: Bakit ako pa Lord? Sobrang sama ko bang tao? Naglilingkod naman ako sa iyo. Bakit ganito ang paghihirap na dinaranas ko? Doubt is part of human nature and even Jesus' closest followers experienced it. Many theologians agree that "little faith" or "doubt" does not imply a complete absence of belief, rather, it indicates a belief that is fragmented by competing concerns. It is the experience of trusting God in concept but getting overwhelmed when real-life challenges arise.
Like Peter, he initially trusted Jesus and stepped out of the boat to walk towards Him, but when his focus shifted to the strong winds fear took over causing him to sink. He forgot that Jesus was with Him. This shows that human faith can often be weak. We treasure God's Words and His promises in our lives, yet when trials come we are distracted and overwhelmed, leading us to doubt Him and question His existence. We can easily become like the disciples, tempted to take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the threatening circumstances around us. Lifeโs challenges, such as the fear of failure, pressure from decisions, financial and physical struggles, and even the chaos in our country can distract us. In these moments we may question Jesus' power and presence. Despite Peter's moment of doubt he was never forsaken by Jesus. He was saved as soon as he called out to Him. Likewise, Jesus is always ready to reach out and save us from our struggles, even when our faith falters, as long as we humble ourselves before Him in prayer.
This gospel reading reminds us that only Jesus can save us from whatever storms or difficult situations we are facing. Thus, we are challenged to focus our attention on Jesus alone. Whenever we feel overwhelmed and distracted by the unpleasant things that are happening around us may we turn our eyes back to Jesus, call upon His name, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to direct us in every decision we make. Doubt can serve as a stepping stone for spiritual growth and a more mature faith, but we must not dwell on it forever. Let us not allow doubt to drown us spiritually. This gospel reading calls us to trust Jesus' words and remain faithful to Him even in the most challenging seasons of our lives. Let us redirect our focus to Jesus and ask for His mercy.
Jesus never let Peter drown in the water and similarly, even in our moments of doubt, He will never forsake us. Instead, He will help us until we recognize His grace in our lives, just as the disciples ultimately acknowledged Him as the true Son of God. May we always remember that Jesus is bigger than our problems, stronger than the storms, and that He will never abandon us. He will always be there to keep us from sinking into our struggles. Therefore, let's remain faithful to Him.
A reflection on Matthew 14:22-33 by Sis. Perlyn Mae Cinto (The Episcopal Diocese of Davao)
Image: Etched glass "Galilee Window" in the Galilee Chapel at St. Faith's Church, Rotorua (Mฤori Diocese of Te Manawa o Te Wheke, The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia)
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