Take Courage. I am. Do Not Be Afraid (by Pastor Iris)

Take Courage. I am. Do Not Be Afraid

 The context of this Sunday’s message was Yeshua’s great miracle where He fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fishes (Matthew 14:22-32). Before this, John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod and hearing of Yeshua’s ministry; rumours had it that Yeshua might be John the Baptist reincarnated, making Him a person of interest to the ruling authorities. With all that happening in the background, Yeshua performed a great miracle by feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, increasing His popularity.

After the great miracle, Yeshua sent his disciples to go to the other side while He stayed behind taking care of the people and afterwards, spending some alone time communing with God. His disciples, the people that knew Him the most, walked with Him, dined with Him, laughed with Him, observed Him, and most of all trusted Him, questioned who He was when they encountered Him in a way they had never imagined.

In verse 27, Yeshua assured them by saying:

Take Courage. I am. Do not be afraid.

Yet, in the following verse, Peter still exclaimed: “Master if it’s You, command me to come to You on the water.” I wonder how Yeshua felt.

How often do we ask the Almighty God to prove Himself to us? How often do we bargain with Him saying: “If this is You, then do that…?” I am not judging Peter when I ask these questions because since He had known Yeshua, there was still more to learn. He knew of the things Yeshua had done in the past but walking on water was not yet on the list. By logical reasoning, an explanation is required, and Yeshua obliged Peter’s request in His infinite mercy.

The question is, how can we go from learning about God to genuinely getting to know Him for who He is and living according to His ways? He says my sheep hears my voice, I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).

Do we know His voice to recognize Him during the storm, or like Peter, would we need proof of some sort if He comes unexpectedly? We are encouraged to go through the week, remembering Yeshua said: “Take Courage. I am. Do not be afraid.”

Sincerely,