Thursday, August 2, 2007
Courage in His Presence
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
—Matthew 14:27
Jesus had told His disciples to go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They were in their little boat, rowing across, when a huge storm suddenly came out of nowhere (see Matthew 14:22–33). As the storm grew worse, they began to despair of their lives.
Now these men had their sea legs. They were seasoned sailors. But they were despairing of life, which tells us that this was a dangerous storm. It got darker and darker, and suddenly they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. They were terrified and thought it was a ghost. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid’ ” (Matthew 14:27). So for the disciples in the storm, His presence brought courage.
One of the most frightening and difficult things in life is having to face your problems alone. We can be a lot braver when we know someone is standing with us. It’s good to know that others are standing by us in our hardships. And it’s even better to know that God is standing with us. Whatever we are facing, we can be encouraged and find courage because Jesus is there with us.
Keep in mind that Jesus had sent the disciples to the other side. He didn’t promise them smooth sailing, but He promised them safe arrival. The Christian life is not one that guarantees we will have smooth sailing. But I can promise you this: it will be exciting. There will be a lot of joy, a lot of blessings, and a lot of changes. And I assure you, you will get to your destination safely. Be of good cheer. He is with you.
Greg Laurie :: Harvest 07
Free music featuring P.O.D., David Crowder Band, TobyMac
August 3-5; Angel Stadium; webcast
socal.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions,
