Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Devotion based on Mark 6:50

The disciples must have been exhausted. Digging deep into the waters of the Sea of Galilee and making slow progress with their wooden oars tired them out. It was now much closer to the sunrise of a new day than the sunset when they set out on this journey. And all they could see was that they were stuck in the water.

Until “It is I” appeared.

Jesus came to them, and what did they see? They thought they saw a ghost. How could they miss the One who was there to help? Their focus was wrong.

Jesus comes to us in his Word with stacks of blessings. He commands the universe. All things have been placed under his feet. He rules all things for the good of his people.

And yet, how often doesn’t life leave us with faces that are white as a ghost? We worry about how we will pay the bills. We fear for the safety of our families and our children. We are scared about what the doctor told us. We stress about how we will get everything done that we need to do.

How will we get through this? “It is I,” says Jesus. And when he tells us to “Take courage!” and “Don’t be afraid,” he means it. He’s not some well-intentioned friend who pats us on the back and tells us everything will be okay but can do nothing about it. Jesus is the one with the power to help.

This doesn’t mean that we will stop facing troubles, just the opposite. Jesus once promised, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) But he doesn’t leave us to stew in it. He also promises, “But take heart, for I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

In the midst of our problems, Jesus comes to us, too. “It is I,” he promises. It is I who loves you. It is I who has redeemed you. It is I who will remove all your fears one day in the glory of heaven.

Focus on Jesus, not your fears. Keep your eyes on the “I.”

Prayer: