“But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea.” Matthew 14:24-25

The old gospel hymn song sung by the late Rev. James Cleveland sheds light and give these comforting words…the winds and the waves shall obey thou will!” In the book of Matthew chapter fourteen, we find the account of Jesus sending his disciples in a ship to cross over to the other side of the mountain. However, they began to encounter extremely dangerous conditions- the skies were all shadowed with darkness, it surely appeared as if they would perish! “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.” Matthew 14:25.

Matthew wrote in the very next verse that Jesus came to them during the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch is defined by the Roman watch as a time spanning from 3am – 6am. Someone once said that the darkest hour is just before dawn; we can imagine the mindset of the disciples during this incident, fear, anxiety, uncertainty… but Jesus is always right on time! “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Matthew 14:25-27.

The entire incident forces our attention on the fact that Jesus is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent and He is preparing the way in spite of what you may be encountering at this very moment…trust where He’s leading…He knows best.

Yes . . . disciples were in serious trouble . . . dangerous conditions surrounded them; Jesus comes to them walking on the sea and even more fear immediately gripped their hearts because they assumed it was a spirit coming towards them…can’t you hear them as they cry our in fear. but oh, sweet Jesus He answers their cries and admonishes them to be of good cheer and not to be afraid…and my friends, He does the same for us today, right in the midst of our storms, He answers-fear not for I am with thee always!

A few things to remember when troubles show up:

1. Trouble will come in our lives even when we are being obedient to the will of God. Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him on the sea to the other side. Did he not know that the storm would come? Certainly, He did- they needed to know that Jesus is God…once again, we see the manifestation of God’s glory as Jesus appears to the disciples walking on water, He assures, rescues, and gives them peace during the storm. (He’s omniscient!)
2. Fear of the unknown is a normal response, but faith can dominate our fears. “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4. Every child of God recognizes His voice. It brings us in to subjection to His Holy power; it is impossible to deny hearing our Saviors voice, we have the choice as to whether to obey His commands or not; but His sheep hear His voice.
3. He is omnipotent and can do the impossible. He showed up that night walking on water. This is a miraculous occurrence that is only possible with God. It gives us a glimpse at His omnipotence and ability to protect us in any situation.
4. He assures and encourages us at the same time. He commands the disciples to be of good cheer and not to be afraid because it is Him. Jesus showed up in due time… the fact is He is omnipresent and is always in our midst; our hearts can rest in assurance that He will take care of us!

The disciples learned a lesson in faith 101 that night . . . we all can identify to the faithfulness of our Great and Almighty God to come to our aide; God is faithful, He will always hear our pleas… no matter what the odds look like..we can depend on Him; and at the end of the encounter that night the disciples proclaimed…“Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” Matthew 14:33.

My friends, even when the winds of life keep blowing we have an anchor of the soul named Jesus!

Praise God today for great is His mercy towards us all!