Fear No Fear

“He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea and would have passed by them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out” (Mark 6:48-49, MEV). God loves us enough to be there when there are catastrophes looming, ready to help us. The disciples were in a storm. They were in real trouble. The boat was going to swap and sink. Many people had lost their lives on this body of water. It was a serious situation. Jesus walked out on the water (proving He was God – Job 9:8) but He didn’t go right to them. It wasn’t because He didn’t have a heart for their plight. He did. That’s why the Father sent Him out there (John 5:19). But God gave us free will. We don’t HAVE to call on Him. We don’t HAVE to seek Him. We don’t HAVE to ask for His help. Jesus went out to them. He was there in their trouble. He was ready to assist. But He didn’t force Himself on them. He didn’t Jesusplain it. He didn’t charge in, save them, and then tell them they should be grateful. He went out to them. Made sure He was with them. Made sure they could see Him and know it was Him. And He gave them the opportunity to reject Him. That’s what God does. He doesn’t swoop in against our will. Yes, He will talk to us. Reason with us. Present His point of view. He will make Himself ‘visible’ to us. Our spirit will know God is speaking to us, trying to reach us. He’ll bring other people across our paths to speak words to us. He’ll direct us to the Word. But He won’t FORCE us. He spend HUNDREDS of years dealing with His people. Dealing with the nations around His people. He warned them and called to them and sent prophets to plead with them. But He didn’t force them to turn to Him. He didn’t force them to honour their covenant. He let them make their choice and then honoured it. He gave them what they insisted on. He was ready to do that with the disciples. He’s ready to do that with us. He is here with us. He is speaking to us. He is working in our hearts. But it is OUR choice. We can listen to Him and obey, or we can listen to Him and refuse. Our choice. He stands ready to assist us. Ready to help us. Ready to save us. Call to Him. He’ll respond. Faster than you could imagine. He’s there. Take His hand.