This illustration was done for Wen's World's 2008 Calendar, which was on the theme of the Word of God. Each of the 13 months featured one aspect of God's Word. This illustration was done to illustrate the faith-giving aspect of God's Word.
For my calendars, I like to take a verse from the Bible and accompany it with a picture (sometimes a scene from the Bible) that is often not directly related to that verse. The verse used with this illustration was Romans 10:17, which says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (ESV).
I figured that a well known Bible scene where faith is clearly shown is the time where Peter walked on water. We often use that passage to teach about a faith that keeps its eye focused on the Lord Christ, and that looking at our surroundings will bring doubt, which will only make us sink. Too often we forget one important point: Peter was the only man in the Bible to walk on water (with the exception of Jesus, of course)! So for this illustration, I chose to focus on that.
I wondered how Peter might have felt walking on water. He was so anxious to get to Jesus. Did he gingerly step out of the boat and test the water first? The Bible seems to suggest that the impossibility of walking on water did not even cross his mind until he was already out of the boat. He did not notice the fierce winds until he had already (and likely unwittingly) taken a few steps. It seems plausible that he jumped out of the boat and was happily running over the waves before he realised that what he was doing was humanly impossible.
Faith, of course, is not blind or presumptuous. It is always based on God's Word. Peter could walk on water because he acted on Jesus' command to do so.
The verse and devotional text that were published with this picture are reproduced below:
The Faith-Giving Word
So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing through the word of Christ.
( Rom 10:17, ESV)
The Bible tells us that God’s Word is
the source of faith. Without His Word,
we would not know what to believe in,
and our faith would rest on nothing but
man’s imagination and fantasy. Man
does not often have the power to uphold
and prove his word, but God’s Word
has omnipotence behind it. That is why
when we hear His Word and put our
trust in it, miracles can happen.
So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing through the word of Christ.
( Rom 10:17, ESV)
The Bible tells us that God’s Word is
the source of faith. Without His Word,
we would not know what to believe in,
and our faith would rest on nothing but
man’s imagination and fantasy. Man
does not often have the power to uphold
and prove his word, but God’s Word
has omnipotence behind it. That is why
when we hear His Word and put our
trust in it, miracles can happen.
Pictures and text are © Copyright Pix Artz Pte Ltd March 2009
