Do Not be Afraid

Today’s Gospel (8/5) is one of my favorite passages in scripture.  We read the story about Jesus walking on water and Peter doubting.  It is so relevant in our world today and a much needed reminder to trust and stay focused on Jesus, especially in the storms around us.  What is greater; our fear or our faith?

Fear and doubt are real and normal human emotions.  And the media can make these emotions much worse, as the media loves to evoke fear and push certain ideas to make people panic.  We can also experience fear when something is happening in our lives that we don’t understand and that we are worried about.  The noise and activity around us can easily cause doubt and uncertainty.  In the Gospel passage, as Peter walks on the water toward Jesus, his focus turns to the storm and how strong the wind is instead of staying focused on Jesus, which causes him to sink (Matthew 14:30).  How often in our lives do we do the same?  We look at our problems, struggles, and challenges instead of at Jesus, and then we start to sink.  As Peter starts to sink, he cries out, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus stretches out His hand to catch him (Matthew 14:30-31).  That’s what Jesus does, not just in this passage, but in our lives too.

Jesus will always be there to catch us.  We simply need to ask Him for help because we cannot do anything on our own.  We need to trust that He is with us, waiting to stretch out His hand and pull us up.  This passage reminds us to step out of what is comfortable and familiar, and walk into a deeper trust of Jesus, no matter what storms are going on around us.  Jesus is always gazing upon us, and we must not take our gaze off of Him either, so that we do not sink.  Just as he says to His disciples in the boat, “take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), He says the same to us.

We must have courage and trust in Jesus.  He is always there, waiting for us to walk closer to Him and grow in our trust in Him.  And He is ready to catch us when we call out.  My prayer for each of us today is that we would keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, and have courage to walk through whatever storms we may encounter.