Do not be afraid!

What are you afraid of?  A lot of times we don’t like to admit our fears, but we are all afraid of something.  Fear is a universal emotion.  According to psychologists, we are born with two fears already present; the fear of loud noises and fear of falling.  It does not take us long, however, to accumulate many other fears such as the fear of the dark, fear of thunder or lightning, fear of airplanes, or if you’re like me, fear of heights and spiders.

             

In Matthew chapter 14, the disciples are also afraid.  Afraid of a strong storm on the sea of Galilee.  Jesus had sent the disciples to cross the sea ahead of Him as Jesus remained by Himself to pray.  When evening came the disciples found themselves right in the middle of a storm.  The disciples were afraid because they knew well the danger of these storms.  In the midst of the storm they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  The disciples were terrified and thought that it was a ghost.  But Jesus called out to them and said, “It is I.  Do not be afraid.”

             

Peter then said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  Jesus said, “Come” and Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus.  But then Peter noticed the wind and the waves around Him and started to sink.  He cried out for Jesus to save him.  Jesus immediately reached out His hand and saved him from sinking.  When they got into the boat the disciples began to worship Jesus saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

            

 This text shows us that Jesus truly is God.  It shows us that Jesus is not only God, but He is a God who comforts.  He is a God who enables.  And most importantly, He is a God who saves.

             

Jesus shows His comfort to the disciples in the middle of a raging storm.  Matthew 14:27 says, “But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Those words of Jesus had their comforting effect on the disciples.  The amazing reality that it was their Lord and Master who was standing on the water gave them comfort from their fear of the storm.  Peter who a few moments earlier was in a state of terror was now at the opposite extreme, having strong enough faith to ask Jesus to call to him to get out of the boat and walk on water.

             

The God of comfort also comforts us today, even in the midst of the storms of life.  When the hardships and turmoil of this world rain down on us, when waves of bills seem to drown us, when worry floods our thoughts, and fear strikes like lightning, God comes to us and gives us His words of comfort.  God works through the Word when we read the Bible.  The Bible uses the words “fear not” 365 times, one for every day that we are in need of God’s comfort.  God gives us His comfort through the promise that he will always be there for us.  We have the comfort of knowing that every time we go to God in prayer He hears us and He will answer according to His perfect will.  Just as Jesus came to the disciples in their time of need in the storm.  Jesus comes to us when we need Him.  We don’t need to do anything to get His attention.  Jesus promises that the comfort of His presence will always be with us.

Our God is a God who enables.  When Peter asked Jesus to call him to walk on the water; Jesus said “Come” and Peter was then able to walk on the water.  The reason Peter was able to walk on the water was because His focus and His faith were in Jesus.  As soon as Peter looked down into the storm and saw the waves and felt the might winds he started to sink. 

Peter’s situation can also be applied to our own lives.  When we read this story we can’t help but concentrate of Peter; how he got out onto the water with his eyes focused on Jesus, on the presence of Jesus.  And then in a moment of doubt, his eyes were diverted to the wind, to the storm, to the size of the waves; and he then began to sink.  And that is how it is so often with our own lives.  Rather than focusing on Jesus, we focus on the storm which is raging in our lives and we start to sink.  We start to sink because we are focusing on the storm rather than on the saving presence of God in our lives.  We are focusing on our lack of money, on our families struggles, on our illnesses and hardships; instead of keeping our focus on God who is more powerful than any storm life can bring.  God enables us to whether the storms of life through the peace and comfort that only He can give.

             

In our sinfulness we often find it hard to keep our focus on God.  The storms of life around us seem way too overwhelming and we, like Peter, get caught looking down into the storm.  We get caught looking down into all of our problems and hardships that at times lead us to be overwhelmed.  The answer to the times in life when we are overwhelmed is to be intentionally looking to God.  Time spent reading the Word, where God promises to be and where we find comfort in His promises.  Time spent in prayer, where we are promised that we are heard and will be answered.  Time spent with fellow believers at church and Bible study and throughout the week where we can encourage one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  All of these help us to keep our focus where it needs to be.  It is only when we look to God that we can see a difference; that we can be comforted by our God who is more powerful than anything in the world.  Our God who enables us to do anything through Him.  We have a God who enables us to say along with Paul in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Matthew 14 also shows us the most important quality of God, that He is a God who saves.  Peter cried out, “Lord, save me” as he was sinking into the water.  Matthew tells us that “Immediately” Jesus reached His hand out to Peter and saved him.

             

Peter’s cry out to Jesus as he was drowning is also the cry of each and every one of us as we are drowning in sin.  In the midst of all our sin and hardships, Jesus hears our cry for help and He has responded.  He responded with his saving life, death, and resurrection.  Paul writes, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”.  Christ died to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Christ died so that not even the fiercest storms of life can separate us from the gift of salvation which Christ gave to us through His death and resurrection.