Scary
By Paris Renae
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Matthew 14:27b NIV
Scary is different for us all. But we pretty much react the same way. As children: pulling covers up over our heads. As adults: turning away or closing our eyes.
One evening, a ragamuffin bunch set sail and encountered winds that kept them from making much progress. In the wee hours they thought they saw someone walking on the water towards them. Panic.
"But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.'" Matthew 14:27 NIV
'But Jesus' - He is always our help. 'Immediately' - knowing His voice would calm them, He spoke. 'Take courage' - take Me, He is our courage.
'It is I' - the source of our faith and trust. 'Don't be afraid' - don't look away or fear or worry, keep your eyes on Me.
Love the next verse: "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to You on the water." (Matthew 14:28)
If it is You? We always doubt.
It just gets better. "Come", he said." (Matthew 14:29) Jesus says this through every moment of every day to us. When you are tired, come. Worried, come. Hurt, come. Longing, come. Lost, come.
What makes you close your eyes, look away, fear? Just come, turn those eyes to Him.
So Peter got out and walked on water. The only human to ever do that, ever. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid" (Matthew 14:30a) But when.
When we try to fix things on our own. When we give up hope. When we trust money, or people, or government, or self - anything that takes our eyes off Jesus. "and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' " (Matthew 14:30b)
We sink. When we pull away from Jesus, when He isn't the source for our next steps, we sink.
The question is, do we cry out like Peter - 'Save me!'? "Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him." (Matthew 14:31) Same for you and me. Immediately - we may not think so.
Maybe we still stay sick, maybe the outcome still isn't pretty. But trust is about knowing that even when the answers aren't our idea of answers - Jesus is always right there and He knows how it turns out.
Hear Jesus call: ‘Don't look away when facing the waves, look to Me.’
Father, we are fragile and we confess we often take our eyes off of You when fears and frets and worries distract us. Help us in our weakness to find Your strength. Keep our focus on You and Your promises. Use the courage You impart to our souls to reach those who face scary times. In Jesus’ strong Name, Amen
For more encouragement, visit Paris at parisrenae.com.
© 2021 by Paris Renae, All rights reserved.
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Originally published Wednesday, 24 February 2021.
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