Matthew 14:27
“Take Courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid”
I don’t know about you, but it feels a little hopeless/scary watching the news, social media, and what other people are saying is going on with the Coronavirus.
How do we know what is true? Why do some people think it is a joke and other people are absolutely terrified? Why is Walmart, Target, and Amazon out of toilet paper? There are a lot of questions concerning this virus, what will happen, and people are scared. Truth is the world is in a bit of a storm. Maybe the Storm won’t get here, maybe it will. But one thing is for sure, we have a God who has been in the midst of the storms before and he gives us some words to cling to.
In Matthew 14, Jesus sends the disciples out on the boat ahead of him, so he can spend some time in prayer with the Father. And after he finishes, he does what any God would do, walks on water out to them (that’s pretty neat). Also, I forgot to mention in the meantime a storm formed on the water and the disciples thought he was a ghost because there aren’t a lot of people who walk on water on the daily.
To the point. Jesus calls out to them in the midst of the storm these words. “Take Courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” I think when we can hear those words, we can find our identity like the disciples did in the midst of the storm with Jesus’ three statements.
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Take Courage. King James Version says, “Be of Good Cheer.” Interesting, even in midst of the storm, we are called to have courage/be of good cheer. The verse I think of here is “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.”(Nehemiah 8:10) In the Joy we have in Christ, we find our strength and our courage.
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It is I. In the midst of the storm, Jesus identifies who is in the storm with us. We are not alone, despite how bad it may seem, God is with us through it all. “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
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Don’t be afraid. This one is the hardest for me sometimes. In the midst of the storm, when the waves are pouring into the boat, or everything in the news is blowing up. God tells us to not be afraid. God asks us to trust him, because I forgot to mention this part, he controls the storm. Later in Matthew 14. When Jesus get in the boat, the winds fade and waves come to a halt. Jesus, was in control THE WHOLE TIME.
What is going on planet earth right now, what is going on in your life right now, God is in control, it doesn’t come as a surprise to him. Run in to him. Because he can handle it and desires for us to draw near to him through it all. And truth is he can help us walk through it. Maybe even like he did with Peter. He can help us walk on water, even in the midst of the storm.