Focal Passage: Matthew 14:22-33
Fear has a way of shrinking our world. Maybe you’ve experienced a medical report, a financial setback, or a hard conversation where everything feels smaller and shakier. The disciples knew that feeling well.
In Matthew 14, they find themselves in a storm, struggling against the wind in the middle of the night. The waves are real. The battle is exhausting. And Jesus is not in the boat.
Sometimes fear begins in our circumstances. The text tells us the boat was “being battered by the waves, because the wind was against them” (v. 24). It’s important to remember that the disciples were in that storm because they were obeying Jesus. He had told them to go ahead of Him. Obedience did not exempt them from difficulty. Storms are not always signs of disobedience; sometimes they are classrooms for faith.
Josh Sinquefield
Then fear deepens through confusion. When Jesus comes walking toward them on the water, they cry out in fear, saying, “It’s a ghost!” (v. 26). Fear often misinterprets reality. The very One who came to help them was mistaken for a threat. We often do the same. We interpret God’s delay as abandonment, or silence as indifference, and even hardship as punishment. But Jesus speaks into their fear: “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (v. 27). His presence changes everything. The storm is still raging, but now they know who is near.
Peter’s response shows us another layer of fear and that is distraction. He steps out of the boat at Jesus’ invitation and actually walks on water. But “when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid” (v. 30). The same wind that was present when he stepped out becomes overwhelming when he shifts his focus. Courage doesn’t mean there are no waves; it means our eyes stay fixed on Christ. However, the moment Peter looks more at the wind than at Jesus, he begins to sink.
But this is not the end of the story. In desperation Peter cries, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reaches out His hand and catches him (vv. 30-31). Fear may cause us to waver and doubt, but it does not place us beyond Christ’s reach. Jesus does not condemn Peter before lifting him. He saves first.
When they get into the boat and the wind ceases, the disciples respond with worship: “Truly you are the Son of God” (v. 33). Fear that meets Jesus ultimately turns into praise. You see, courage is not the absence of fear. It is having confidence in the one who walks with us through the storm. And Jesus is greater than anything we fear.
We love going to the pool as a family, but when my middle son Henry was little, he was nervous about jumping in. I’d stand in the water, hold out my arms, and tell him to jump. He would ask, “Daddy, you sure?” After a little reassurance, he leaped … and I caught him. When he came up smiling, he didn’t hesitate the next time. Jump after jump, his confidence grew. Not because the water changed, but because he trusted the one catching him. That’s what trusting the Lord does for us.
What would it look like this week to fix your eyes more intentionally on Christ than on your circumstances? B&R
