“but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Mark 6:49-50 NLT
The account of Jesus walking on the water so often becomes Peter walking on the water. This probably happens because we think we can better identify with Peter, after all, he’s just like us. In actuality, it’s because he reacted the way we would react and in that we find comfort and confirmation.
But we need to remember, while Jesus walked this earth He also was human and taught us through example to respond to life in a different way. Jesus came to His friends in a wind tossed boat by walking on the very thing that was causing them to be scared and terrified. Notice Jesus didn’t feed in to their fear, He declared, “Take courage”, why? Because “I AM here”. This statement was said with so much power and authority Peter decided, he too could get out of the boar and walk on the water too! Just saying I AM meant Jesus was present and would be to them whatever they needed at that time. And what they needed was not necessarily for the storm to stop, but to be protected from the wind and its effects.
Jesus showed them He had dominion over the waves by walking on them. He also showed Peter that he could also have dominion. And he did, until he took his eyes off of his power source, Jesus. But when Peter disconnected with his power source he began to sink. In desperation he cried out and I AM grabbed him, lifted him up and both of them stepped into the boat.
The I AM that was with the disciples in the boat is the same I AM today! We can be assured that wherever we are, He is there with us, and to help us through, no matter the circumstance. But we need to remember to stay focused on Him in order to receive His power and authority to rise above whatever we are going through and come out of it victorious.
Transformation thought: Vision is the ability to see God’s presence, to perceive God’s power, to focus on God’s plan in spite of the obstacles. Charles Swindoll
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