In Trouble? It is He
Matthew 14:23-27 (NIV)
Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage, It is I. Don’t be afraid’.
Have you ever mistaken someone for someone else? I once followed a man I thought was my dad into a beauty salon before I realised my mistake. I don’t know if he or I was more horrified at the situation.
On occasions, we could judge Jesus' disciples rather harshly when reading the gospels. I’m sometimes guilty of writing them off as a bit dense. In our passage, we readers have the privilege to know it is Jesus walking on the water; Matthew tells us that immediately. For the disciples, though, a hazy figure coming towards them in the middle of a stormy sea would have been an utterly terrifying sight. They mistook him for a ghost that had come to torment them, but they soon discovered with the greatest relief that it was Jesus who had come to meet them.
There have been times in my life where I have been given opportunities to meet Jesus but have missed him in the darkness. It is often in the place of trouble where Jesus wants to meet us the most. He uses hardship to grow us to look more like him. If our Saviour was wounded, beaten, and hung on a cross, we his disciples can’t expect to look like him without picking up a few scars on the way. What if the very place you feel most afraid and alone is where Jesus is coming most urgently to meet you? The good news in this passage is that Jesus shows us we can find him in the storm. Jesus is no ghost - he's alive and present!
Today hear the words of Jesus, tharseō ‘Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid'
Prayer - Jesus give me eyes to see you today. Show me how you are using the troubles I face to draw me closer to you.