Be of Good Cheer; It Is I; Be Not Afraid
THE deepest darkness of the night had settled down upon the sea, just before the breaking of the day. The overwrought nerves of the disciples, with all their past superstitions, magnified every trivial incident which portended evil. As they peered into the darkness, they saw a form walking upon the rolling waves as tho they were a rock. To them it was a storm-wraith, foretokening destruction, and, strong men as they were, they cried out in terror. But their Lord had not come to terrorize them. He had seen their sad plight, and had come to save; and He came in a way to inspire their utmost confidence, revealing to them that however the sea might roar and be troubled and lash its proud waves, He was its Master, able to save to the uttermost. In response to their cry of fear, the words of assurance come, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” With open, broken hearts they receive Him, and immediately they reach the desired haven, confessing that He is indeed the Son of God. “THE sea is His, and He made it.” “He maketh the storm a calm.” His mighty word can speak peace to the turbulent sea or the sin-troubled heart. He knoweth our need. He would save us from the mad, selfish ambitions which would wreck our lives. He can not go with us as our leader or protector into schemes that are not of His planning. We may proclaim Him King in our own imaginary realm of selfish ambition, but at the last we shall find the kingdom of self upon the throne viewing a wreck, and we disappointed and disheartened. BUT be not discouraged. All the time the Master has been trying to help you, but you would not let Him. Selfishly you misinterpreted His kind offers. You thought cruel His perfect kindness. When He appeared, you thought Him—the Good—an evil spirit, a herald of destruction. O, treat Him so no longer. Yield to His will. Know that He controls all things for the good of His own, and will make them work together for good to them that love Him. Singly the trial may be rude and harsh and ugly, but it may be the only foundation that God can lay in your nature for a superstructure of blessing. The fierce wind and sea may seem pitilessly destructive, but the Master is walking the storm-tossed waves, and saying with sweetest voice, audible always to the ear of obedient faith, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” O, listen, and hear, and receive Him; and immediately all shall be well. “Sometime when all life's lessons have been learned,
And sun and stars forevermore have set,
The things which our weak judgments here have spurned,
The things o'er which we grieved with lashes wet,
Will flash before us out of life's dark night,
As stars shine most in deepest tints of blue.
And we shall see how all God's plans were right,
And how what seemed reproof was love most true.”