Matthew 14:26-27 (NLT) When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Yesterday, we saw that the disciples could not recognise Jesus; they thought He was a ghost. They were afraid, and then in all the chaos, Jesus spoke to them immediately, telling them not to be afraid, to take courage for He was there.
Look at the various translations all convey the same message:
Matthew 14:27 (Voice) Be still. It is I. You have nothing to fear.
Matthew 14:27 (WEB) But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew 14:27 (ERV) But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Don’t worry! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.”
Personally, I favour The Voice translation: Be Still. During difficult times in our lives, we have to be still and recognise the voice of God. It is I, meaning that God is with us therefore, we have nothing to fear.
To be still mean that we stay calm and open our spirit to hear what God says. Let’s see what the Bible says about being still in difficult times.
Psalm 46:10 (AMP) “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 37:7 (NIV) Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
Psalm 37 is powerful encouragement by David to trust God in the face of evil. He reminds us that evil will eventually be destroyed, and we are to be still and wait for God’s justice. The Hebrew word for be still, is often translated as rest. When we worry that evil has the upper hand and will win, we can rest in trust that God has not forgotten and will bring about His justice.
During conflict and life turmoil, sometimes we need to open our eyes, step back, stop what we’re doing, and acknowledge who God is and what He can do.
God calls us to stop fearing, to be still and commit to him.
I conclude with Psalm 46a says: (ESV) “Be still and know that I am God. And (NASB20) “Stop striving and know that I am God;
“As long as you’re trying to fix everything, thinking that it’s all up to you, then you’re not going to know He’s God.” – Joel Osteen