“I am here! Don’t be afraid.” Mark 6:50 NLT
“A companion in your journey can give courage when Jesus is included.”
My thoughts today are about “companions and courage.”
Have you ever noticed that you are less afraid if there is someone with you? Companionship helps courage, if those companions inspire confidence and hope rather than incite fear. I suggest you pause and read the verses that surround today’s Scripture. Read Mark 6:45-56 NLT. There will be times when your life has been routine; you are doing things you have done many times before without incident, assuming everything will be as it has been before even though it never is.
And unexpectedly you find yourself in a storm of sorts. Storms can be exciting, even beautiful, to watch from a safe distance – the wind whistling through the trees, the deep voiced, booming sounds of rolling thunder and bright flashes of distant lightning momentarily brightening the night sky. Not so much fun when you are caught in the dark and in the middle, and at sea in a comparatively small boat like the disciples were.
Don’t expect to face your storm without Jesus being near. When Jesus saw His friends “in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling . . He came to them walking on the water.” Understand this; whatever it takes, even a miracle, Jesus will come to where you are. Have you ever been there, done that, only to hear His whispered words in your heart, “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
What a difference those few words make. I often find my prayers for people to include asking God to give that person a “word to walk in.” When your heart hears Jesus speak, you gain courage. What a huge difference Jesus’ presence makes. He steps into the worst moment of your situation and everything changes. At another time he commanded the storm to cease. In this instance, the Bible says so simply, “Then Jesus climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped . . and they were astonished.” Mark was recording much later what Peter remembered and reported to him about this strange night. Peter, as a seasoned fisherman could not easily forget how this frightening nightmare changed when Jesus came aboard.
Do you find yourself surprised by the difference Jesus makes, when you leave room for Him in your scary situation? Peter and the disciples were. When you are, just remember to calm your fears for a moment and listen carefully for a shout that drowns out the storm around you or for a whisper so slight that only a heart could hear it.
Today I have a dearest of friends who is living out a medical diagnosis that is anything but optimistic, and another friend of middle age who died unexpectedly yesterday with no apparent health warnings, leaving a young family in excruciating pain today. I feel helpless. I want to do something to help, but right now there is little that I can do except walk alongside and trust that my just being a companion in the journey will help, while I point them to Jesus who can heal.
On Paul’s journey to Rome, “When the believers in Rome heard we were coming, they came to meet us . . when Paul saw them he thanked God and took courage.” Acts 28:15 NLT. I want to be a companion that helps friends find courage, and know Jesus is alongside. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT. I am thankful for a lot of friends like that when I most needed courage I did not have.
My prayer for you today is to be so close to Jesus that you leave no room for fear.