Interesting. I  think of Peter, he always gets picked on doesn't he? I
guess that's because we see much of him in our lives, and he wore his
faith, whatever degree he had at any point and time,   as an overcoat for
all to see, and not  the inner lining. You got to just love that don't
you? Anyway. Peter at one time had so little faith in Christ that he,
well, read for yourself...

"He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and
that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly
about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when
Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind
me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the
things of men."  Mark 8:31-33

Imagine rebuking the Son of God? Yikes! I guess that though, is a sign of
a true friend, to lay it out on the line when you think they are in error
or danger. Yet Peter was sure of Christ's position...

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say
John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of
the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.""
Matthew 16:13-16

And of course we know Peter denied Christ three times and cursed before
the rooster crowed, still now fully  sure God would take care of him,
and  put up a shield of fear instead of faith.

  We see Peter walking on the water as well. Imagine the faith position
and trust he had in Christ? Well for those few golden moments in history
anyway, but the are miraculous moments nonetheless.

So, Peter had difficulties in his own life yet I think once Christ was
crucified, and reality hit him big time, he was a powerhouse of faith and
had all those remembrances of his time with Christ to look back on, and
all the miraculous events.

I think that is how we can also come to know God is god, to see that we
have indeed overcome things of this world. We can see a hand of God on our
life, some could be explained away as coincidences or credit to a human or
the like, and then there are times in which intervention is unexplainable.
In both cases it is God working in our lives and we ought keep those times
in the forefront of our mind to honor him and build us up in strength as
well. We are so fickle aren't we?

Brad