And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:47-50; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

Only a few miracles are recorded in all four Gospels. The time Jesus walked on water was one of them.

After Jesus fed a multitude with one boy’s lunch, the disciples prepared to sail across the Sea of Galilee to another location. Jesus stayed behind to dismiss the crowd and spend time alone praying. The disciples probably figured, “Well, if Jesus can turn five loaves and two fish into a meal for a few thousand people, He can find a way across the sea to meet us there.” (They probably did not expect Him to break the laws of physics again, though!)

However, a violent storm broke out while they were sailing. Since several of them were fishermen, they should have been used to it; however, this storm terrified them. They thought their boat could sink and they would drown.

So, the disciples were focused on their circumstances. Filled with fear, wondering if they were about to die, they saw a man walking on the water. Okay, I have done something that is technically like walking on water. I can ice skate pretty well, which involves using my feet to journey across a surface of water. However, when I do that, the water is in a frozen solid state. This man was walking on regular liquid water. It was windy. He was probably walking over waves like a man might walk through ditches and over short inclines while on land, perhaps fighting the wind a little.

I can picture one of the disciples saying, “Okay guys, this is not good. We’re about to die, and somebody is walking on water toward us. It’s probably a ghost and he’s coming to get us!” Their situation was bad enough. Now, they were dealing with the unknown. Counselors might call their response catastrophizing. I would probably be disturbed if I saw a man walking on water—when it is not frozen and he does not have a surfboard—even on a good day.

Jesus did not say much when He arrived. He did not give them an in-depth explanation about ghosts, demons, the Grim Reaper, or sports like ice hockey that would be invented 1800 years later in a faraway land called Canada. He said only a few simple words: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

In times of fear, the first thing Jesus offers us is His presence. “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

No matter what storm you face in life, Jesus says to you, “I am here. Do not be afraid. I will not leave you.”

What is your response when “storms” arise in your life? How can you resist fear, turn your attention to the Lord, and find His presence as a source of comfort? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Copyright © 2024 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.