Stormy Night at Sea | Psalm 56:1-4, Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 14:22-33

The best antidote to fear is prayer. It works every single time. It will just put this shawl of peace on your spirit when you lean into your faith in the times you’re most afraid.

Special thanks to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, for bringing us the Bible For Busy People this Christmas season!

Show Notes:

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Transcription:

The best antidote to fear is prayer. It works every single time. It will just put this shawl of peace on your spirit when you lean into your faith in the times you’re most afraid. Hi, welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and we’re talking about the times in the Bible when God said to his children,

Do not be afraid.

We’re exploring those three words because they’re so powerful. When God is with us, we know we have nothing to fear, and one of his names is Emmanuel. God is with us. We hear it in the song at Christmas time and it’s a wonderful reminder that you and I are never alone. Listen to Hebrews 13:5.

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Look at that, a promise from God and you and I can take it to the bank. Well, today we’re going to cover a pickle in the Old Testament and a pickle in the New Testament. First in Psalm 56, we find David in a moment where fear overtook him and what did he do? He went straight to God. He started talking to God. The Bible says that the Philistines, his enemy had seized him in Gath and this is what he wrote down Psalm 56 verse one now,

O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. 2 I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. 3 But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. 4 I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

David is talking to himself here. I talk to myself all the time. Okay, I got to do this, or when I wake up, I wake up really early. I’ll say, okay, I got to brush my teeth now. Okay, now I need to floss because I’m waking up at four in the morning. David is talking to himself in a way that’s very different than you and I might. Even asking himself a question. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? And then he talks to God.

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

All of us put our trust in something or someone, whether it’s the lock on the door at night, the alarm that you set on your house, whatever it is, we put our trust in those things, don’t we? Maybe we can sleep a little easier knowing we’ve made the rounds around our house and we know that we’re all locked in and safe. Similarly, you and I can put our trust in Jesus. And so often what that looks like is a decision. It starts in the heart. Maybe you say it out loud like David did here,

I will put my trust in you. Lord.

I know you’ve got me. Just recently I was falling asleep or trying to, should I say, and I had all of these things popping up in my mind. You ever feel like your mind is a laptop and you’ve got all these windows open? I’ve always seen those windows as the things on my to-do list, and this particular night, God was saying to me, [I believe with all my heart], Erica, this window up here, this situation, I want you to click on the X and give it to me. And so, I would do that in my mind I was like, okay, I’m picturing the situation clicking the X God, I trust you with that.

And I was saying that over and over in my mind until at some point I fell asleep trusting the Lord. And it was a good place to be and I encourage you to try that. We all have things that are pressing on us. He knows that too. There are things that make us afraid or anxious, and I believe with all my heart, Jesus wants to step into that situation and extract the fear and anxiety from your heart.

Okay, so we read about the pickle that David found himself in a sea of his enemies and he was staying afloat by holding on to the promises of God. And you and I can do that too. And now the disciples, the closest followers of Jesus are in a pickle, and you’re going to see what’s going to happen. And I believe this is something that Jesus wants to do for us as well. He wants to say, I’m here in the middle of everything you and I are going through. Okay, Matthew chapter 14, beginning in verse 22.

Immediately after this,

and by the way that’s referencing the feeding of the 5,000.

Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![b]” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[c] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

What a story. In the midst of the fear, in the midst of the storm, the Lord himself comes to them walking on the water and they don’t recognize him. They think it’s a ghost who has ever seen a human walk on water until that moment, and they were stunned when they realized it was him. God’s ways are mysterious. I was recently grappling with a situation and I was so anxious about it, and I realized at some point through the wisdom and discernment of other people, that God was absolutely at work in this situation. He may as well have had work boots and a hard hat on, but it took me a hot second to realize, okay, I recognize that the Lord is in this and I’m going to go with it. I’m going to trust what he’s doing in this situation, and you can too. He’s coming. He’s walking on the water to you right now in the midst of your storm, and he’s saying, take courage. I am here. Don’t be afraid. Until next time, you are loved.

Thank you for making space to study the Bible with me today. If you feel something stirring in your soul, that’s the God who made you, saying, I love you and I want to know you. It’s what Christmas is all about. Jesus came for you so that your soul would know its worth. He came to bring joy to the world, and to your world. It’s the most beautiful love story ever written, and it’s true. It’s the greatest rescue mission in history, and it was for you. If you want to respond to that stirring in your soul, to know Jesus a little better, please take a moment and check out our show notes, where you’ll find lots of hope and encouragement for your journey.

The Bible for Busy people is brought to you this Christmas season by Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Every day and every night, their team is on a mission to share the good news with our neighbors who are homeless. Like the angels who came on the night, Jesus was born. They make sure that every person who walks through the doors of the Mission knows that there is hope because Jesus came, and how much He loves them. Every person they meet on the street encounters the love of Christ through a friendly smile, a warm blanket, a cup of cocoa, and an invitation to take that next step toward healing from addiction or mental illness. If you want to be part of making sure every soul knows its worth in Seattle this Christmas, volunteer or donate at ugm.org. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

This podcast is one branch of a Christmas tree called Purposely, a network designed to connect you with life-giving conversations, and to inspire you to find and live out God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.