Eek, It’s a Ghost!
A Devotional
© 2001 Steve Lattier and Men’s Help Ministries
I can just guess some of you already think you know one of the scriptures that I am going to reference this week. Well, you are right, I am. I hope, though to present it in a different light than you have seen it before. I want to know what makes you scared. What do you fear, Christian? For some of you it will be something spiritual, others still it will have to do with relationships, others yet fear death and still others fear the physical realm, like getting in a wreck or having their home broken into. No matter what you fear is, God has a powerful message for you to focus on and pray about this week. Allow me to set this story up for you. Jesus had just gone to spend some time alone after hearing about his cousin’s horrible death (John the Baptist), and then 15,000 people show up to be ministered to, so He does. Then He feeds them all with the disciples sack lunch. Jesus is tired and still has not had time to mourn his cousins death nor to pray about it.
The Word:
Matthew 14:22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. [23] After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, [24] but the boat was already a considerable distance* from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. [25] During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. [26] When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
Imagine, those are the very same disciples who had just, hours earlier, "participated" in a miracle, for they too had broken the bread and the fish for the 15,000 completely losing their faith! Don’t feel bad Christian when your faith falters too. They just didn’t lose a little faith either, they blew it! When was the last time you heard a group of (i.e. twelve) men cry out in fear? Lets move our focus away from the disciples and let us see what Jesus had been doing. Jesus had put them in the boat so he could do what he needed to do that night. That was to spend time with the Father. The whole time the disciples were rowing across that dark lake, He was watching them and praying over them. The wind was whipping around them making sailing difficult at best. They were all more than fearful of the weather conditions and the risk of capsizing the boat was pretty high too. Jesus knew what they were going through out there and He came to them right where they were. He didn’t wait and catch them on the other side He went out to them in the midst of their fear, and ministered to them. Listen to His words.
The Word:
Matthew 14:27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." [28] "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." [29] "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. [30] But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
"Take courage" He said. Jesus came to them in the midst of their fear and told them "don’t be afraid" As a matter of fact he walked on and through the very things that they were in fear of. The wind and the waves. Jesus walked on that same water and He walked through the blowing wind right to those disciples, in their darkest hour. He not only walked to them, in their fear but He walked to them, on their fears! At Peter’s request Jesus called to Peter and had him walk on his fears too! I am convinced that you all know that, like Peter, if we take our eyes off of Jesus and start looking at our fears again we too will sink! Even looking away from the Lord and sinking in our fear won’t stop Him from rescuing us!
The Word:
Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
There, did you see? Jesus reached out His hand and caught Peter. He will do the same for you and I as well. Even after we see Jesus coming towards us, even after He calls us out of our boat to walk on our own fears, even after we again fall to the wiles of the enemy or our own self doubt, HE REACHES OUT TO CATCH US!
The Word:
Matthew 14:32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
I want you to notice something that may have slipped past you until now. That wind storm was still raging out there on that turgid lake, it was until the very moment that Jesus got in the boat with them! Jesus didn’t have to speak to that storm to quiet it. Just like in our own lives sometimes all it takes to calm our storm is to get Jesus in the boat with us! Know this Christian, He will come to you walking on the very thing that you fear, and when He gets in your boat the wind will stop!
Pray with me: Lord Jesus I need you to help me. I have many fears. I have academic fears. I have emotional fears. I have relational fears. I need you Lord to come to me in my need. Right where I am, I know I am not worthy and nothing I can do will earn it but I need you mercy and grace to meet me where I am. Father send me your ministering, Holy Spirit. I repent of my past and I am sorry that I have doubts. Help me to live a life of fearless faith in you Father God. And I ask this in the name of your son, the name of Jesus. Amen!
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