It is I

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

IT IS I

Mark 6:50-52

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."  51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

NIV

Whenever life brings us a storm of any kind it can be a frightening experience. Sometimes we might think that we are all alone in certain difficult times. Sometimes we may not feel that anyone really cares about our troubles. The casual, “I’ll pray for you” even if it is well meaning, just doesn’t seem comforting or even genuine, to bring us any peace. Some storms are so severe it seems as though we are going to be drown by them. Worry, anxiety, fear and even depression can set in before we even know it. But we must never forget that the watchful eyes of Jesus sees us in the midst of the storm and comes to our rescue. He arrives with the words, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbs in with us in the very center of our experience and everything becomes calm. Should we also be amazed that Jesus can calm our storms? Even though the disciples had been with him for some time now and seen all the miracles and healings that he had done, they still were not understanding that he was of a divine nature, that he was the Messiah, the anointed one, the Savior of all mankind, the actual Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin girl, the fulfillment of all the prophesies. But we do, we know all that, so why would we be amazed that Jesus shows up in the midst of some storm we are experiencing? Because we know Jesus and have accepted him as our Savior does not mean we will not have a storm or two in our life, after all it was Jesus who sent them out there in the first place. Because he is all knowing, he must have known what was going to happen to them and that it would be a teaching moment in their lives. They were never in any real danger, but nevertheless it was a storm. When we face those times in life where it seems hopeless, we must remember to take courage and not be afraid, for Jesus is with us. We might still be in the middle of the lake, but it is now calm. No storm is too powerful for Jesus to calm. No trouble is so great that Jesus cannot bring us courage to face it head on for he said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."