Through the Storm to Stillness In the Boat with Jesus: Five Days of Faith, Fear, and Finding God in the Silence
Day 2: “It is I!”: Recognizing Jesus
Matthew 14:25–27
I am thankful that I have never experienced night terrors, but I know that for those who do, they are, well, terrifying. Have you ever been so afraid or agitated that even when someone tries to comfort you, it doesn't help? You know they are there, you may even hear what they are saying, but your fear is so overwhelming that you simply cannot receive the comfort they are offering.
I imagine this is something like what the Apostles were experiencing that night on the Sea of Galilee. They were exhausted, frightened, and being tossed about by the wind and waves. And then, in the darkness, Jesus appeared to them—but they didn’t recognize Him.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The man who had just fed the 5,000 was coming toward them, and they thought He was a ghost. They had seen His power. They had heard His teaching. They knew Him. And yet, in the middle of their fear, they couldn’t see Him. Their fear was all-consuming. And then Jesus spoke: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
On an intellectual level, that seems easy. The Messiah says, “Don’t be afraid.” Okay. I won’t be afraid. But reality is sometimes very different. We can look back at our lives and see God’s fingerprints everywhere. We can tell stories about answered prayers, unexpected blessings, and moments when everything seemed to fall into place. We know God has been faithful. And then something happens—a diagnosis, a loss, a relationship that breaks, a decision we don’t know how to make—and suddenly the God we knew yesterday seems difficult to recognize today.
We forget one of Scripture’s most repeated invitations: “Do not be afraid.” But I don’t think Jesus was telling the disciples that there was nothing to fear. The storm was still raging. The wind had not stopped. The boat was still being tossed about. Jesus was telling them something much more important:
“I am here.”
He knew that the days ahead would bring the disciples more fear than they could imagine. He was preparing them for what was to come. He wasn’t promising them a life without storms. He was promising them that they would never face those storms alone.
“I am here,” He was saying.
Even when you don’t see Me, I am here.
And perhaps that is the part we most need to hear when fear takes over. God’s presence does not always remove the thing we fear. Sometimes His presence is the thing that allows us to face it.
The question is not always, “Where is God in this storm?”
Sometimes the question is, “Can I recognize Him when He comes?”
Let’s Pray:
Lord Jesus, when fear clouds my vision, help me to recognize You. When I cannot see the way forward, remind me that you are already with me. Give me the faith to hear your words:
“Take Heart, it is I; do not be afraid,” Amen
Wishing you Fair Skies and Following Seas,
Cecilia Carroll
Advent Square Director