Take Courage
“ When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!”
Matthew 14:26-27
In our first devotional we talked about God’s commandment to Joshua which is the same for us today. He commanded Joshua to “be strong and courageous” and reminded him that he could do so because he would be with him. Today we see Jesus echoing his Heavenly Father while walking on a stormy sea towards the disciples.
Let’s be honest, I think we would all be a little spooked if we saw someone walking towards us on water in the midst of a storm! However, Jesus was no ordinary man and His message to His disciples was very clear: Take Courage. Do not be afraid! One of his disciples, Peter, decided that he would trust Jesus in that moment and walk out on the water. All went well until he got distracted by what was going on around him and he took his eyes off of Jesus. Jesus didn’t let him drown but he did call him out in verse 31, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
What we have to realize is that we can’t take courage and hold on to doubt and unbelief. Taking courage will require us to look to Jesus continuously because when we begin to look around at our circumstances, doubt will creep in and we will become paralyzed by fear. I believe that Jesus is always reaching out to us just as He reached out to Peter. Reach out and take His hand today.
Reflection:
Where have you allowed doubt to take root in your life?
How has this doubt affected your relationship with Christ?
How has this doubt kept you from stepping out of your comfort zone?