Aaron, Miriam, and Peter in today’s lessons are much like each of us.  Moses, on the other hand, is a much more exemplary human being.  Aaron and Miriam thought they were better people than Moses because they adhered to the laws and traditions of their people more stridently.  But their real shortcoming was that they didn’t trust God to make a good decision.  God chose Moses to be his spokesperson because God didn’t just want someone who followed the rules.  God wanted someone who trusted in Him.  And in the story today, there is also evidence that Moses was a kind and forgiving leader.  Even after showing their lack of trust in him and in God, Moses did not want to see Miriam punished so severely, even though she surely angered God with her vicious grumbling about Moses.  And we know that Moses also demonstrated his own doubts and lack of trust at one point.  He was also punished for it.  The Old Testament is full of stories of how people got punished for not trusting in God, but we don’t live in the Old Testament anymore. 

It seems to me that people who don’t trust in God to guide their lives are fundamentally plagued with a lack of trust in God’s forgiveness through Jesus the Christ.  They not only doubt God’s judgement to lead them, but they also doubt God’s power, and they doubt God’s goodness and love for them.  In our faith journey, that lack of trust is a lot to overcome.  Even Peter’s trust in the Lord was subjected to doubt, and most of us are like Peter.  We can step out in faith, but when the going gets rough, we so often falter in doubt.  Jesus asked Peter why he doubted, and he asks each of us the same question every day.  

In my observations over the years, it seems that we very easily trust in God to heal us, because it requires a no-risk faith.  But then Jesus asks us to follow Him, that entails risk.  It requires a lot more trust.  Most of the time we are just not there, so in response, we doubt God at a whole range of petty levels and fail to act courageously. 

In my experience, the best way to overcome doubt in our faith is to overcome self-doubt, and for me, that requires accepting my sins are forgiven.  That can have a very liberating effect on us, so much so that we can even be as courageous as Jesus called Peter to be when he asked Peter to walk to him across the water.  We can do great deeds if we don’t doubt God’s plan for us, God’s love for us, and God’s salvation.  That requires a lot of trust, but we can decide today that we are just going to fear, love, and trust in God above all things for the rest of our lives.  That makes it a lot easier to follow Him, especially when He calls us to be courageous and to take more risks.  It is my prayer today that we can do that.