20 “But He saith unto them, ‘It is I; be not afraid.” (KJV)
Did you know, some 365 times in the Bible one time for every day in the year, God has told us not to be afraid? Three hundred and sixty-five times, in one way or another, He said. “Be not afraid” or “Fear not.” The devil is the sinister minister of fear, but our Lord tells us not to be afraid. In John chapter 6, the disciples, some of whom are seasoned sailors, are filled with fear. They bend their backs to the oars. It’s too far from the shore to swim. The waves are too boisterous. They have an idea that they are going down. And on top of all of this, where is Jesus? Why hasn’t He come to them? Why has He forsaken them? Then they see Him. He’s walking on the water. That doesn’t bring them joy. Now their fear has turned to raw terror. Who? What is that walking on the water? Is it a phantom? Is it a ghost? And then they recognize—it’s Jesus, the wave walker, walking on the water.
I’ve learned as a pastor that there is a heartache on every pew. We all have storms, if not now, later. How do you find peace in the midst of your storm? Peace is not the subtraction of problems from life; peace is the addition of power to meet those problems. That’s God’s peace. This week, commit to memory John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
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