If you are a child of God and trust Him and believe His word, you can be fearless in any situation.
I wrote the above sentence seven years ago. I believe it now more than ever, even in the weird situation the world is in during the Spring of 2020.
See, you can't always trust what you can see. In the following story, the disciples thought they saw something that wasn't true.
I wrote the above sentence seven years ago. I believe it now more than ever, even in the weird situation the world is in during the Spring of 2020.
See, you can't always trust what you can see. In the following story, the disciples thought they saw something that wasn't true.
Matthew 14:27 (NKJV)
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
You know the story, don't you?
It had been a long day.
It was already evening when Jesus decided to feed the 5,000 instead of sending them away to rummage for food in every little hole-in-the-wall they came across on their way home.
I don't pretend to know how long it took for the disciples to find the little boy's lunch of bread and fish, or how much time went by as the disciples got everyone settled and divided into groups. I'm sure it took awhile after Jesus blessed the food and started handing it out to the disciples for everyone to receive their food and eat it. (After all, the 5,000 was just the men - you know there had to be some ladies and children in that crowd as well.) Then there was clean-up, the gathering of left-overs ...
By then, Jesus needed some time to Himself.
He sent the disciples across the lake in a boat, and sent the crowds home.
So after everyone was gone, He went to the top of the mountain to pray. Since He was fully human as well as fully God, I'm pretty sure He just wanted some peace and quiet. You see, He had just learned that morning that John the Baptist (who was actually His cousin) had been killed.
Somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m., Jesus decided to go to the aid of the disciples. A storm had arisen and they were worn out trying to keep their boat afloat.
He just walked out to them in the middle of the sea!
Of course, the sight of Him walking towards them freaked them out. Their eyes told them they were seeing a ghost! Jesus reassured them and told them not to be afraid.
Peter, God love him, wanted to join Jesus walking on the water. Jesus told him to come ahead. As long as Peter's eyes were on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water, just like Jesus. The instant he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.
It all comes back to trust. If He tells you to walk on water, you can. You just have to focus on Him.
And if you don't, you're sunk!
~~~
In this age of pandemic fears, stock piling and shortages, I've resurrected some of my earlier posts about the fears we all experience. I'm calling it F.E.A.R. - False Evidence Appearing Real because most of what we are afraid of is in our minds. Today we've dealt with the fear of what things look like.
You can also look at my last post, "No Need to Fear, Your King is Here," which deals with the fear of both political and spiritual disaster.
I'm linking this post to the communities at:
Inspire Me Monday
#TellHisStory
InstaEncouragements Link-Up
Great acronym for FEAR. FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL
ReplyDeleteFear not...we are told that a lot in God's Word.
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ReplyDeleteThe Lord has been bringing me to so many Scriptures where He tells us to "be of good cheer" or to "take courage." It's amazing how He meets us in the hardest of places, when what we see consumes us, and then speaks His comfort to us. Thank you for this blessed confirmation today!
Thank you for this, Jerralea! You know, I just keep thinking (and telling myself) faith wouldn't be faith if it was something we could see. Faith is believing something you can't see, you can't touch, you can't even feel. Sometimes, faith is a very hard thing. I'm so glad we know Who is in control!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
Thank you for writing about the passage where Jesus feeds the five thousand and then goes off to pray. When the storm begins to brew and the disciples are afraid, Jesus is still there. The part where Peter calls to Jesus to see if it is really Him and then begins to walk on water has special meaning for me. God has taught me a lot about brave faith and how to stay focused on Him in all things.
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