Be Of Good Cheer. Be Not Afraid.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Jesus’ disciples are on a boat. He’s been praying on the shore and sets out, strolling across the boisterous sea. When the men see Jesus approaching, they are scared because they think he’s a spirit.

He calls out to them and comforts them, “Be of good cheer; it is I. Be not afraid.”

Peter replies, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”

Jesus does and Peter climbs out of the boat and begins to walk on water. As long as Peter keeps His eyes on Christ, he can walk on water. When he becomes fearful and distracted by the winds and the waves, he begins to sink. (Matthew 14:22-33)

There are so many wonderful lessons in this story. It’s a great reminder to keep our eyes on the Master, not getting distracted, and stay focused. It’s also a powerful illustration of Christ’s mastery over any situation and His ability to create miracles in our lives.

This morning this story has been reminding me that the things that look the very worst coming toward us are often for our greatest good. Lately I’ve seen something coming toward me that frightened me. The Lord has called out to me so many times, “Be of good cheer; it is I. Be not afraid.” I listen to Him for a while and take some steps, and then like Peter I’ve been rattled by the winds and the waves and started to sink. He always pulls me up … just like He did Peter.

This morning on the way to the gym, I began to see things from a completely new perspective. As the morning progressed, greater levels of clarity emerged. Every difficult thing I’ve encountered in the last six months has been calculated for my benefit. Everything I thought was “bad” or “hard” was neither. I was seeing the situation through the perspective of the men on the boat. I wasn’t seeing it from Jesus’ perspective. The men were afraid. I’ve been afraid. Jesus saw an amazing opportunity that Peter would talk about for the rest of his life. Jesus is creating a golden opportunity for me as well.

Now, as I look at this situation through God’s eyes, I see that not a single thing has been bad. It has all been clearly calculated and orchestrated for my benefit. It is taking me to a wonderful place that God has already shown me exists.

Sometimes we set a lofty goal and don’t realize that in order to attain it, something’s got to change. That change may be in our thinking, how we view the world, or in our circumstances. The road to great things is never easy. If we were capable of obtaining the goal when we set it, we’d already have it. We wouldn’t need the goal! Why are we so befuddled when the deck has to shuffle before we can be dealt a new hand?

I love what Kirk Duncan teaches in his Order to Chaos CD. He talks about organizing your garage. If you want to take it to a higher level of order, there’s got to be some chaos first. Chaos is all part of creation. Instead of seeing the chaos in my life as “wind and waves” or a “ghost” or some other bad thing, I’m starting to see it all as a blessing, all for my good.

This clarity is giving me the ability to trust at a deeper level and to praise God ahead of time. Now I understand that the promised good is on its way to me – even if present circumstances look chaotic.

As I rejoice in this place of praise, this song has been on my lips. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

If this post resonates with you, you might want to find out where you are in the Light Bearer Process. You may take my Light Bearer Assessment here. It’s fast and free!