Jesus calms the storm on the Sea of Galilee and addresses the Disciples fear. Reference Mark 6:45-51

One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, “Mommy, will you stay with me all night?” Smiling, the mother gave him a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, “I can’t dear. I have to sleep in Daddy’s room.” A long silence followed. At last it was broken by a shaky voice saying, “The big sissy!”
Have you ever been afraid? Fear is a crippler. A robber of peace and tranquility. Sometimes, we are afraid because something real scares us. Other times, our imaginations run amuck. And, fear does not come from God.
President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House they didn’t dare touch the switches. If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when the Harrisons went to bed, they slept with them on.
There are many “phobia’s” these days. All represent fear of some kind or another. Peladophobia: fear of baldness and bald people. Aerophobia: fear of drafts. Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple. Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people. Levophobia: fear of objects on the left side of the body. Dextrophobia: fear of objects on the right side of the body. Auroraphobia: fear of the northern lights. Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings. Thalassophobia: fear of being seated. Stabisbasiphobia: fear of standing and walking. Odontophobia: fear of teeth. Graphophobia: fear of writing in public. Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.
In our Scripture today, Jesus did not let fear rob the Disciples of their Joy. Instead, He helped them deal with it. Jesus did three things:

I. HE ADDRESSED THEIR FEAR
When Jesus said, “Be of good cheer”, it was as if He was saying to everyone of us, “Do not fear the storms of life!” That is a lot easier to say than it is to do, but there are several good reasons why we should refuse to fear the storms that life brings our way. Remember this. Storms Are Under His Control. Scriptures say, it rains on the just and the unjust. But, God is in control, so no matter the outcome of a storm, God allowed it—the storm did not take God by surprise.

Remember that storms Are Always Of Limited Duration. They come to an end. I am sure the Disciples thought that they were finished. It probably appeared to them that this storm wasn’t going to end before they themselves perished in its fury. However, when Jesus came on the scene, He was able to show them that there is always an end to the storm. Never forget that this storm that you are in today, or the one you may face tomorrow did not come to stay, but they all came…and ended.

II. HE ADDRESSED THEIR FAITH
When Jesus came to the disciples walking upon the water, they thought He was a ghost and cried out in fear. However, when He spoke to them, He addressed their fears and then He gave them ample reason to believe that help had arrived. When Jesus got there, He quickly identified Himself to the disciples. He said, “It is I…” This is an Emphatic Personal Pronoun – A statement of identification. It is as if Jesus were saying, “Fellows, do not be afraid of what you are facing, after all, the I AM is here!” Jesus was simply reminding those men of who He is. It is easy to put your trust in reality. Jesus is ultimate reality. He is “I AM.”

As “I AM,” Jesus is:
All Powerful – Over and over again, God has proven that He has the power to exceed our wildest imaginations. He hasn’t changed! He is still God and He is still the Almighty! If you have a mountain that needs moving, He is the only One who is qualified to get the job done.

All Present – His very Name, “I AM” declares Him to be One who is ever present. Being the “I AM”, He is always God, all the time! There has never been a time when He did not exist, and there will never be a time when He will not exist. When the Lord says that He will not forsake us, the term literally means that He won’t run out on us when the chips are down. God is not a fair weather friend, He is an all-weather friend. You can trust Him. He is ALWAYS present in our lives.

All Perceiving – By virtue of the fact that Jesus is God, He is One who knows all things. Nothing escapes His gaze as He ponders the ways of men.

The “I AM” statements of Jesus:
1. I Am the Bread of Life
2. I Am the Light of the World
3. I Am the Door
4. I Am the Good Shepherd
5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life
6. I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life
7. I Am the True Vine

III. HE ADDRESSED THEIR FUTURE
“Be not afraid” – The Greek for this term is a Present Active Imperative, and literally means – “Stop fearing now and never fear anything else ever again!”
From a human perspective, the future looks bleak and there may not seem like there is a lot of hope. That is true…without God in your life. The old bumper sticker said, “No God, No Peace. Know God, know peace.” As we face our futures hand in hand with Jesus, there are three truths that give us hope.
A. He Is Ever Trustworthy.
B. He Is Ever Available.
C. He is Enough Spiritually, financially, physically, emotionally, and eternally.
The bottom line: He is ENOUGH.

Are you afraid? You must:
Address your fear.
Address your faith.
Address your future.

If you don’t know Him today in a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, I pray that today is your day. Your day to find Him. Your day to find Peace in the Midst of your Storm!

God loves you with an everlasting love. He will never leave nor forsake you. You are never alone. You never have to face anything by yourself if you know Christ as Savior.
In Our Master’s Joyful Service,
Ed Smith
Joy Christian Radio