But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” – Matthew 14:27
Jesus was walking on water, going towards His disciples, who were on a boat in the middle of the sea, being tossed by the waves for the wind was contrary. “And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear.” (Matthew 14:26) They were afraid! But Jesus removed that fear and gave them His peace. He told them to be of good cheer. He told them that what they perceived to be a ghost was Himself.
Jesus wants us to look at Him, our peace. “…the chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5) When we behold Jesus, the One who loves and protects us, His peace is present to keep us cheerful and glad. We will feel safe in His arms despite what is going on around us. He does not want our hearts to be troubled and afraid. Instead, He wants us to trust Him. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; Not as the world gives do I give unto you. Let not your hearts be troubled, Neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Pastor Greggory Dickow said, “All fear is rooted in the core belief that God’s word won’t work. For example, the fear of not having enough is rooted in the fear that Philippians 4:19 is not true. If you believe that ‘God will supply all your needs according to His riches…’ then fear leaves. Fear leaves when you rely on something (God’s word) that cannot fail.
God wants us to not be afraid because fear can hurt us.
Pastor Greggory Dickow said, “In Job 3;25, Job feared that His children would curse God, and that’s what happened. When you realize fear has the power to produce negative results, you [will] stop dabbling in it. When a child learns what fire can do, s/he no longer plays with matches!”
Let us take God at His word today and trust Him!
Let His perfect love cast out fear from your life.
Let us believe that His word is truth!
Prayer
Father in Heaven, forgive us for not believing and trusting Your word. Lord help us to believe and trust Your Word. Help us Father to always behold Your Son, Jesus. Let us see and remember His great love for us, to see His willingness to save, heal and rescue us from all our troubles. Lord Jesus, into Your hands we commit ourselves. Mold and shape our hearts to seek and meditate on Your Word. Make our hearts more like Yours. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Meditate on…
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” – Matthew 14:27
