Day 279 - Matthew 14-20

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 279 - Matthew 14-20 (Jesus Comes to Us in the Storm)
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"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away...But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." ...Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." 
(Matthew 14:22-33)

The context of our text above really starts with the feeding of the five thousand in the preceding verses. Jesus had just fed the multitude their miraculous dinner out of five loaves and two fish when He ordered His discples to "get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away (verse 22)."  

We read that a severe storm occured while the disciples were in the middle of the sea and at around three O Clock in the morning, Jesus "went to them, walking on the sea."  That Jesus came to His disciples when they were in danger in the middle of the storm at sea reveals the Lord's compassion for His disciples. Jesus still comes to help His disciples during the storms of life.  

Are you in the middle of a storm in your life today?  Perhaps you are going through a difficult time in your marriage or family relationship.  Or could it be you are experiencing financial troubles or job insecurity? Whatever storm you may be in, Jesus is just watching on the side ready to come to your help and rescue if you are one of His disciples.

When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were terrified and thought that He was a ghost. But Jesus called out to them and said, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."  The response of His disciples was nothing less than worship and adoration (verse 33).

Jesus' message to us still is "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."  No matter what kind of storm you may be having right now, Jesus wants you to simply trust in Him completely.  As long as Peter trusted in Christ, he was able to walk on the water toward Jesus but as soon as he started becoming afraid because of the heavy wind caused by the storm, he immediately began to sink.

Being a disciple of Jesus requires complete trust in Him during the heavy winds of trials in the storms of life.  As soon as we lose our focus on Christ for our protection and provision, we will begin to sink and become absorbed in the deep waters of our trials.  On the other hand, if we fix our eyes on Jesus continually, we will experience and witness His miraculous work and power in our lives, and that in turn will lead us to worship Him as our God.