Fear Not

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

"Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right  hand." Isaiah 41:10

Throughout Scripture we read events of people being fearful and God reminding them not to be afraid or dismayed in their circumstances.  In our heart of hearts we know God's word is true and He will help us, but there are times when fear shakes the foundations of our faith.

As I was preparing to write this piece I had just reviewed the latest news about the huge earthquake in Mexico city, another hurricane that hit the Caribbean Islands, and other reports of disasters and alarming news from various areas.
The world can be a pretty scary place at times, and it's easy to get distracted and caught up in the vortex of the fear if we allow our attention to be drawn away from the Savior's face.

Two of my favorite accounts of Jesus's ministry in the Bible are found in Matthew 14:22-32 and Mark 6:32-52. They tell of how the disciples had just witnessed Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, and then were sent out by boat to travel to the other side of the sea.  When they were in the middle of the sea a great windstorm came up and they were afraid.  Not only that, while in the midst of the storm they witnessed another miracle of Jesus walking on the water towards them.

In the account in Matthew we read of Peter's doubts being addressed when he cried out to Jesus "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.", to which Jesus replied "Come".  And Peter did just that.  He responded to the Lord's command, got out of the boat and began walking on water towards Jesus.

But then he got distracted.

The wind and the waves became boisterous and he turned his attention to them instead of keeping his focus fixed on Jesus.

And being afraid, he began to sink.

For some, this is where they remain in the midst of stormy seas.  When the waves begin to assault and wash over them, their focus becomes blinded by the storm and they fail to see who is right in front of them.

But others are like Peter, who stepped out in faith, and though momentarily distracted by the storm know to call out to the Lord for help saying "Lord, save me!"

"And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him." (Matthew 14:31)

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand.

Do you see that?

When Peter cried out "Lord save me" the help came immediately 
 But it wasn't without an admonishment.  "Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Of course, Jesus knew the answer.  He wasn't asking Peter because he didn't know, but rather wanting Peter to examine his own faith.  After all, he had just been part of some pretty miraculous events.

It's the same for each one of us.  God has demonstrated His faithfulness to us in countless ways and simple wants us to keep our eyes on Him.  When the distractions come, and they will, we might get frightened and feel as though we are being overwhelmed by the fear in the storm.  But be of good courage.  Cry out to Jesus.  He is there and ready to save us and remind us that doubt is our worst enemy.

But a faith that is fixed on the Savior's face will always allow us to walk on top of the stormy seas.

May God strengthen you with the knowledge of the miracles He performs daily in your lives and may He always be glorified.