A few days ago I read a devotional that was centered around the passage of Scripture found in Matthew 14. Jesus has just finished feeding 5000 men plus the women and children with only five loaves of bread and two fish. His disciples were amazed as they each gathered up a basket full after every person there ate and was satisfied. One basket for each one of them to hold, carry, look at and think about what had just happened. The Bible tells us that immediately afterward He sent the disciples off in the boat onto the Sea of Galilee while He dismissed the crowd and then went up on the mountainside to pray. At evening time, the disciples found themselves a good ways from shore and in the middle of an unexpected storm. Unexpected by the disciples but not Jesus, because remember that Jesus controls the storms as we read in Matthew 8:26-27. If you think through both of those passages, Jesus sent His disciples into the storm. Why would He do something like that? Matthew 14:22 tells us that “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side…” If Jesus made them go and if Jesus controls the wind and the waves, then Jesus must be up to something here in Matthew 14.
When the disciples see someone coming to them walking on the water we are told in v.26 that “…they were terrified…” and that they cried out in fear and screamed “It’s a ghost”. What were they expecting? It is obvious that they were NOT expecting Jesus. Not in this way and not at this time. Why is that? I don’t really know, but what I do know is that we are not a whole lot different today. We expect Him at Christmas when we are singing all of the Christmas songs. We expect Him to come when we wake up on Easter Sunday morning and celebrate His resurrection and sing the amazing hymns of the season. We expect Him to meet us in our prayer meetings. We expect Him to meet with us in our times of devotion and Bible reading. Quite honestly all of that is good and we might very well experience Him at those special times. But, in the middle of the storm? Really? We expect to find Jesus in morning devotionals and meditations, but we never expect to see him in a divorce or a foreclosure. We do not expect to see Him in sickness, unexpected illness, or even death. We never expect to see him in a storm. We don’t even look for Him in a storm, and yet it is in the storm that He can be seen more clearly than ever. It is in the storm that God should have our keenest attention because we are many times desperate, and yet we do not expect Him to show Himself. He remains faithful even when we are not.
The passage goes on to say in v.27 that “Jesus immediately said to them: Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus says I am here. I am the One who controls the wind and the waves and I am here. I am the One who is very much aware of what you need and I am here. Jesus sent them into the storm and Jesus also went into the storm to be with them.
Maybe it is not a storm that you find yourself in. Maybe like Joshua, you are about to embark on a whole new world with a whole new mission and a whole new method. Joshua knew that the people of Israel were still heading to the promised land because that has been the mission all along in spite of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. God comes to Joshua and reinforces the promise that He had made to Moses. After all, Joshua is one of two people who have been waiting for this and hearing the promises about it for 40 years. He has had to wait and “be still and know that He is God…” God gets straight to the point with Joshua when He says: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River…” (Joshua 1:2). Joshua, you and all of these people, the same people who are the children of those who complained and grumbled, are going to once again cross a body of water and enter into the land of promise. Moses will not be here this time; it’s just you and Me, so get ready. That was a pretty significant job change. He is now the boss, the leader, the family patriarch, the man in charge, and it all falls on him. Been there, done that? It’s scary. Even though you have watched it being done for years, it now falls to you. Maybe it is a new job that includes significant change. Maybe you had a father around and would always go to him to just talk. You know what to do, but it sure is nice to have the affirmation of dad, and now dad is gone. What do we do? What was Joshua to do? God gave him an answer: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous…” (Joshua 1:5-6). That is a pretty good place to be!
Most all of you know about our daughter who lives in Brooklyn NYC and how she is 28 weeks pregnant and has gotten the Covid-19 virus. She has had to spend some time in the hospital because she has been pretty sick. The last place that most all of us would want to be is in a NYC hospital in the midst of this pandemic. Robbi and I have come to realize that there is no better place for her to be than in that hospital firmly held in the hands of God. Not easy for us as parents! We want to go to help, but honestly is there something more that we can do than what God is already doing for her? Can we even come close?
These are crazy times for all of us. This is a whole new lifestyle that we are having to live. Masks, Clorox Wipes, hand sanitizer, hand soap, social distancing, no more handshakes, no more hugs, not being able to hold your grandchildren, staying at home, and it goes on and on and on. Some of you have taken more showers in a day than you previously took in a week because we are doing whatever we can to avoid something that we cannot see. What is it that you are looking for? Sadly, I think that what most people are not looking for, including Christians, is to see Jesus walking on the water, above the storms, above the pandemic, above the mess, and saying: “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” The same Jesus that walked on the water is the Jesus who reigns over and above this pandemic. The very same One!!! Take courage! It is Him! Do not be afraid!
I want to encourage you with a couple of passages of Scripture. When you have time, take your Bible and read all of the passages that I have referred to earlier and I also want to encourage you to take some time to read Isaiah 45. Look at what it says in vv. 6-7 “…I am the Lord and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I the Lord, do all these things.” Did you hear that? He creates light, but He also creates darkness. We like the light, but the darkness can be scary. He brings prosperity and we like that. People have built enormous ministries based on that, but the passage goes on to say that He creates disaster too. Prosperity is good but disaster is bad. God creates them all and the cool thing about it is that everything He creates, He does so to bring glory to Himself. He has a reason and purpose for everything! EVERYTHING!! EVERYTHING!!! Look for the hand of God in everything!
When you face these storms of life, Take courage! It is Him! Do not be afraid!