I Am, Do Not Fear!

That evening Jesus' followers went down to the lake (Lake Galilee). It was dark now and Jesus had not yet come back to them. The followers got into a boat and started going across the lake to Capernaum. The wind was blowing very hard. The waves on the lake were becoming bigger. They rowed the boat about three or four miles. Then they saw Jesus. He was walking on the water. He was coming to the boat. The followers were afraid. But Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid. It's me." -- John 6:16-20 (ERV)
Jesus' words to his terrified disciples were powerful: "I Am, do not fear!" Built on his "I Am" statements throughout the Gospel of John, this one shouldn't be underestimated. Jesus' words build upon the twin concepts of the God of Israel who revealed himself as the great "I Am" in Exodus and the God who rescues from the ocean deep in the Psalms. "I am God with you; you don't need to be afraid! I can still the storm. I can preserve and protect." Storms are inevitable. But rather than taking cover in the storms of our lives, Jesus comes and meets us in the middle of them so we don't have to be alone! Jesus' use of "I Am" was blasphemy to the Jews. They would never say "I am" because they didn't want to break the 2nd commandment to use God's name in vain. Another reason they sought to kill him.

Give me faith, O God, to believe that in the worst of my life's storms, I can trust that you are there and that you will ransom me home. Thank you for the assurance that you will never leave me or forsake me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless.

Maranatha,

dns