Fear

“Courage! Do not be afraid!”

Matthew 14:22-36 narrates the story of the storm on the lake. Jesus had left the disciples to be by himself. The disciples were trying to get to the other side of the lake, but were hit by a head wind that became stronger and stronger, finally turning into a storm. They were afraid, but when they suddenly saw someone walking towards them over the water, they were terrified.

Fear can kill us. It can make us deadly sick. Those disciples were not only afraid of the wind and the water; they were terrified to see Jesus. It wasn’t the first time they were scared of him. They often must have had mixed feelings about that man, Jesus, who was changing their lives so radically. It is not always joy when you approach Jesus, or rather when he approaches you. Fear may be one of these feelings. Are you always happy to be one of his disciples? Did you ever have the feeling that you were left alone by him? That he is asking too much of you? That the cross you are supposed to bear is too heavy? Perhaps only at the end we realize that everything is for our good. Once we can accept that God is in all situations, and can and will use even bad situations for good, then everything becomes an occasion for good and everything becomes an occasion for God.

Jesus had left the disciples alone. They were trying to go home, but then, suddenly, he reappears on the lake walking over the water. “It is a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. Jesus called out to them: “Courage! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” It is said that the most common one-liner found in the Bible is “Don’t be afraid.” And it is found 365 times. That is, God is constantly telling you and me, “Don’t be afraid. I am there for you each and every day, each and every moment.”

Why should we, why should you, be afraid? Storms or ghosts... nothing has power over us. “Do not be afraid.”