But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified,
saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately
Jesus spoke to them and said,
"Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:26-27
We have a lot to be afraid of. Our nation is at war, our
economy is uncertain, fuel prices are on the rise, our youth face evils from
every direction, even nature itself seems to be working against us.
Yes, there is much to fear. Or so it would seem.
Why fear when Christ is with us? Indeed, when Christ comes
walking into our lives, the way He walked on water to reach the terrified men
on the boat, the time for fear is over.
However, like the men who thought they saw “a ghost,” we may
not recognize Him right away. To see the Lord coming; to allow Him into your
open heart, you must accept that He does not want you to live a life of fear.
Knowing Jesus and allowing yourself to hear Him say, “do not be afraid,” is the
end of your long journey of fear.
During the Vietnam War, Dave Roever, an honored Veteran was
getting ready to throw a phosphorus grenade from his gun boat on a dark river
in Vietnam. When the device was just six inches from his face a sniper's bullet
ignited the explosive.
He awoke in an army hospital a few days later. He recalls,
"When I looked in that mirror, I saw a monster, not a human being . . . My
soul seemed to shrivel up and collapse in on itself, to be sucked into a black
hole of despair. I was left with an indescribable and terrifying emptiness. I
was alone in the way the souls in hell must feel alone."
When Dave Roever returned to America , he was terrified about the
reaction of his new wife, Brenda. Why would she want to spend the rest of her
life waking up next to this horror of a man. His fear was fueled by something
that happened just before Brenda arrived at the hospital for the first time.
Roever watched the wife of another burned veteran tell her husband she wanted a
divorce.
Then Brenda walked in.
He tells the story this way, "Showing not the slightest
tremor of horror or shock, she bent down and kissed me on what was left of my
face. Then she looked me in my good eye, smiled, and said, Welcome home, Davey!
I love you.' To understand what that meant to me you have to know that's what
she called me when we were most intimate; she would whisper Davey,' over and
over in my ear . . . By using her term of endearment for me, she said, You are
my husband. You will always be my husband. You are still my man."
This is the very meaning of grace. The kind of grace and
love that Christ has for us. We are all ugly and disfigured in our sin. We have
all been burned beyond recognition. Yet Jesus, still loves us, no matter what
we look like inside or out. There is no need to be terrified – ever!
Yes, when Jesus walks into your life, the long journey of
fear is over and the great journey of love, courage and hope has begun.
This Week’s Prayer
Loving Jesus, in your glory and grace, you have held me and
walked with me through good times and bad. Let me march courageously through
the coming hours and days with the grace and love I have found in you. And when
fear creeps into my heart, allow me to hear Your gentle voice telling me,
“Don’t be afraid.” With you, dear Jesus, I have nothing to fear. Amen.
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