Matthew 14:22-27 NIV
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. [23] After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, [24] and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. [25] Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. [26] When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. [27] But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Even when he manages to find some rare time for himself, Jesus is alert to the needs of the disciples and heads out to rescue them when they’re in trouble. In telling us this story, Matthew reveals a fundamental truth about Jesus: he is not to be feared. Jesus may challenge us, guide us and call us to devote ourselves to him, but all this grows from his love for us.
Lord, help us to remember that when you call us in directions that seem scary or risky, that we do not need to be afraid.
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