PASTOR’S WEEKLY MESSAGE 19

Fear is no stranger to any of us. Today’s gospel is about men fearing—fearing for their lives. It was between three and six o’clock in the morning, so it was still dark… They seemed to be alone; they encountered a bad storm; Jesus had stayed behind on the shore. The storm was growing stronger and stronger and they became
afraid. Then Jesus appeared—walking on the water. They had not expected Him to come. “Courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Then Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.” “Come,” said Jesus. And Peter got out and started  walking in the direction of Jesus. He did not sink. But when Peter
felt the force of the wind, he became frightened and began to sink. Fear and doubt had displaced faith, trust,and courage. “Lord! Save me!” And Jesus put out His hand at once and helped him. “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Faith is a gift from God, a gift that gives us the power to see that gift we call sight—not with the eyes of our body—but what we see with our heart. It is more than just seeing. It is also recognizing…knowing, deep down. In some manner, it is seeing the way God sees, knowing the way God knows. Faith helps me to see myself, life around me, and above all, God, as they really are. By faith, Jesus becomes someone very real and alive in my life. His words take on new meaning and richness and the greater my faith becomes. The stronger my faith, the better I see.

Jesus had said to the Apostles: “Do not be afraid.” Later, He said to Peter: “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” He is saying, in other words: ‘Peter, if you had more faith, you would have seen Me before you. You would have recognized Me. And deep within your heart, you would have been certain that I would never let
harm come to you. Oh yes, the wind could blow very, very strong all around you. The waves could threaten to sweep over you, but you would not fear or doubt My care for you, or My love.’

Each one of us needs a bigger, stronger, and deeper faith. For, like Peter, we fear too much. We have too little courage. We need more of the faith that leads us to see Jesus close to us in life…to recognize Him as Jesus, and as Lord. And in doing so, we will be led to trust Him and know—that no matter what life’s storms
sweep around, deep in our heart, we will be at peace; unafraid. For, we are sure that He will not, nor can He fail us. There would be much more courage and much less fear, if we had bigger faith.

The times that we are tempted to fear are indeed, many. The winds of doubt and worry come when people start losing their jobs…when a pandemic begins to   spread…when our loved one becomes sick…and when people around me turn against me and threaten to ruin me. At times like these, remember what the Apostles did. They looked through the darkness and the wind, the waves, and their fears—and they saw Jesus and asked Him for help…and calm came again. The words of today’s Psalm say: ‘His help is near for those who fear Him.’

Jesus did not promise anyone a trouble-free journey through life. But, He did and does promise each one of us a safe journey. As we go through life’s difficulties and problems, we need to often ask for greater faith…Faith to see—better and clearer—Jesus who is near, very near; Faith to know it is Jesus; and Faith to believe
in Him, to trust Him. Then, we too, will say from our heart: ‘Indeed, His help is always near.’