Day 181
Matthew 14:27
“But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.”
After feeding over 5,000 people, Jesus sent His disciples by boat to Gennesaret. He then went up to a mountain to pray. When the evening came, He went walking on the water to catch up with them. (By that time the weather had turned rough, and the vessel they were in was being tossed by the wind and waves.) When they saw Him coming, they were frightened, thinking He was a ghost. Their fear caused them to cry out. To calm them down, He called out to them, assuring them He was not a ghost and telling them to get rid of their fear.
Mathew quoted Jesus as saying, “It is I, be not afraid.” To eliminate fear from our lives, we must first have a relationship with God where He is real to us. To some, He is just like a ghost. When we talk with Him in our everyday activities and commune with Him as we would with anyone who is close to us, He will become more and more real to us.
Once we have developed a relationship with God that causes Him to be real to us, we need to rehearse the fact that He is always with us. The psalmist said in Psalm 46 that God is very present in times of trouble. As we remind ourselves of His constant presence and continue communing with Him throughout the day, our fears will diminish. Jesus assured the disciples that He was real and was there with them so they could calm down. It is this same awareness that keeps us calm. God is real and present with us.
I will commune with God daily. I will rehearse the fact that He is always with me. I will eliminate fear from my life.