Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – 1 Samuel 16-20
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 14:27
Jesus: Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
I love this story. Many of you probably know it well. Jesus sends His disciples ahead of Him across the Sea of Galilee in a boat while He goes up the mountain to pray. That’s what He came to this secluded area to do in the first place. Then one of those sudden storms come up on the sea and the disciples are rowing with all their might to get to the other side. Suddenly, they look up and they see something in the distance that looks like a man.
But they’re in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. The water is deep. It’s not possible for anyone to walk on the water. This must be a ghost. Then one of them says, “It looks like the Master!” The debate goes on as the figure gets closer. It’s a ghost. It’s the Master. It’s some creature from the sea. It can’t be a ghost. I’m telling you, I think it’s Jesus. It can’t be, how can He walk on the water. I know it must be a ghost. No, look, He walks just like Jesus and the storm doesn’t bother Him at all.
Then out from across the water they hear a voice, “Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.”
Really? There’s this storm all around us and we might sink in the waves, there’s this figure of a man coming closer to us that seems to be walking on the water. Don’t be afraid. Are you kidding me?
Life does that to sometimes, doesn’t it? The waves crash around us. We don’t see any way out of the predicament we’re in. The enemy seems to hem us in on every side. We don’t know how we will win the battle. And then it gets worse. We don’t seem to get through to God, instead we seem to just see shadows moving in the distance.
But then from those shadows we hear a voice calling, “Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.”
It is so hard sometimes to stop and be still. It is hard to stop churning and doing and fretting and working to just look out into the fog and see who it is that is coming through all that mist and spray that seems to surround us. With everything pouring in, it’s hard to stop and take the time to look over the bow and focus on the figure blurred by all the commotion and noise and lightning and thunder to see that He is walking toward our rescue.
That’s what He tells us to do, though. When we are in the middle of our greatest storm, it’s sometimes best to stop and focus on Him. I’ve been part of a good many disaster operations in the last forty years both in and out of the military. One of the first things I learned from a great operations officer by the name of then Major David Bramlett was combat patience. He later became the Commander of United States Army Forces Command.
Combat patience says that the first thing you hear or see about the development of a battlefield situation is probably not true or at best a half truth. It’s not that people purpose try to misinform, but in the excitement and rush of those first few moments of battle, confusion reigns. It isn’t until the battle is fully engaged that good, solid information comes out from those on the line. That’s what Jesus is telling His disciples. Don’t get too excited about the situation. This might look bad, but it’s not. Just be still and look around. Take inventory of what you have and the directions you’ve been given.
If they had stopped to think a few minutes. They all believed Jesus was the Son of God. God incarnate. He told them to meet Him on the other side of the lake. They didn’t know how He was going to get there, but if He said He was going to meet them, well… How could they possible not make it to the other side? He was God walking around in human clothes. They would make it to meet Him. He’d see to it. Just be still. Stop and collect your wits about you. Remember what I told you to do, and do it.
Then He came out of the shadow. The mist cleared a little. They began to focus on the figure in front of them and Jesus said, “It is I. You don’t have anything to fear.” You see, when Jesus is around, the world can’t hurt us. He has already defeated sin and death and the grave. If He lives in us, the only things that can hurt us have been defeated. What do we have to fear? The answer is, Absolutely nothing. Paul explains it well in Romans. We die to the flesh and live according to the Spirit. When we do, the only authority who can condemn us is Jesus, but He sits at the right hand of the Father pleading for us. So who can condemn us? No one! Nothing! Not any created thing! We have nothing in this world to fear when He is Lord of our life.
Are you in the middle of a storm? Be still. Jesus is in the mist and fog walking your way. You have nothing to fear, if He lives in you.
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