You are not alone...

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is recorded in Matthew, Mark and John's accounts of Jesus' time on earth. It contains one of the most unbelievable events recorded in all of Scripture. In Matthew 14 following the miracle of Jesus feeding over 5,000 people with a few loaves and fishes, Jesus puts His closest  disciples into a small boat while He stays behind to dismiss the masses. As the disciples set out onto the Sea of Galilee Jesus slips away into the foothills to pray. 

Check out Matthew 14:22-27 (NASB)  on Bible Gateway, "Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

What felt like distance between the storm the disciples were in and the relative safety of the shore where Jesus was praying was in reality nothing to the Son of God. Yes the disciples felt alone. No Jesus wasn't visible to their naked eye. Yes their situation seemed grim and hopeless but THEY WERE NOT ALONE.  At the very moment they began to believe that all hope was lost, something caught their eye. Something that defied explanation. Something that should not have been happening.

Suddenly they realized THEY WERE NOT ALONE. 

Admittedly they had it all wrong and thought Jesus was a ghost but either way, they now realized, THEY WERE NOT ALONE. 

No surprise here but sometimes life is "contrary". If you've lived any life at all then you've experienced some tough wind and waves. If you've got a job, you've been there. If you've got a spouse, you've been there. If you've got kids, you've for sure been there. Sometimes life is tough. We struggle against the "wind and waves" of life and can sometimes feel like we're not making much progress. We scratch our heads wondering why Jesus sent us out into this violent sea all alone. Here's the thing: YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. Even when you're struggling mightily with the oars of your life's boat and the wind is blowing harder than it's ever blown before and the waves are pounding against and breeching over the bow of your boat, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

If that's where you find yourself today, take a minute to close your eyes and listen to Jesus shout those words over the roar of the wind and the waves, "TAKE COURAGE, IT IS I; DO NOT BE AFRAID."

Be encouraged and keep moving forward. 

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