Investing the Talent of Faith

I was visiting with a friend and fellow ambassador in Christ over the phone. They are carrying a heavy burden—suffering in ways that go beyond what many experience while walking with Jesus on the narrow path.

After our call, I started thinking about the Parable of the Talents in the Gospel of Matthew.

Some servants were given five talents, some two, and some one. But the number given mattered less than what was done with them. The Master’s response was the same whether two or five talents were doubled: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Only the servant who did nothing with the one talent he was given provoked the Master’s displeasure.

That led me to wonder: how many talents has God actually given any of us? None of us truly knows. Perhaps that’s why it’s wise to live as if we’ve been given many—to invest boldly and faithfully in whatever work God sets before us.

But what do God-given talents have to do with personal suffering? And what do they have to do with expanding His Kingdom?

When the floodwaters of anxiety and depression begin to rise, we can feel as though we’re barely staying afloat—let alone able to help anyone else. Sometimes it feels as if we’re drowning while waiting for God to throw us a life vest.

That’s when another image comes to mind.

I picture Peter and the other disciples in the boat, battered by the wind and waves, suddenly seeing Jesus walking toward them on the water. They’re terrified, thinking they’ve seen a ghost. But Jesus reassures them.

Peter asks for proof. He asks Jesus to command him to come. And Jesus says one word: “Come.”

Peter steps out of the boat—in faith—and begins to walk on the water. But when he becomes aware of the waves and the wind, he begins to sink. Crying out, he asks Jesus to save him.

There’s a lesson here.

Perhaps with a little more faith and a little less doubt, we too can rise above the floodwaters of despair. And just as importantly, we must recognize that we cannot save ourselves without crying out to Jesus.

Maybe during our trials and tribulations, God is inviting us to invest the talent of faith—to acknowledge that without Him the storms are overwhelming, but with Him all things are possible.

Even walking on water.

And when we step out in faith during the storm—when we trust Jesus while the waves are still crashing—others notice.

What better way to invest our talents and quietly expand His Kingdom?

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“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’” Matthew 14:27–29 (NKJV)