Jesus had ordered them to cross the sea at night. The disciples were tired before they started but by the end of the night they were exhausted, rowing for much of the night against a strong wind and waves. Jesus had been on shore talking to Father God, so the disciples did not have Him on board to encourage them. But then, Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water.
 
They had never seen anything like it before and they were terrified. In the eerie light before day-break, the men screamed out in terror. This must be a ghost, they thought. At the end of their resources with their bodies and minds so stretched, they had little strength left, they were at the mercy of whatever it was that was coming towards them.
 
It was Jesus! He spoke above the wind and waves to calm their troubled hearts. Firstly, "Take courage!" Jesus commanded them to reverse their attitude from despair to courage. Secondly, He told them that they were looking at Him, "It is I". He announced His presence as a reason for them to strengthen their minds and hearts. Thirdly He commanded them not to fear, "Don't be afraid". In His presence, fear is wrong because He is in charge.
 
God intervenes in our lives in many different ways, but it is usually unexpected. Indeed, we may well misunderstand what is happening as He involves Himself with us. Fear is a great tool of Satan, and it is far too effective. We need the Lord to speak to us so that fear will not take hold of us. The Lord is always at work but the more unusual His interactions with us, the more we fear. That is because we have forgotten that He is the Sovereign King.
 
However strange your circumstances may appear to be, there is no need to fear because the Lord is with you. It is not unreasonable to be frightened about the unknown, but Jesus wants to be known (Matthew 14:33). That is why He sometimes allows you to feel distress so that you can call out to Him, and know His presence. When we know who He is then we need to obey His Word. Fear is quietened by His Word. Listen out for it. When we realise that He is in charge and has the power to do whatever He chooses, then fear is sinful; we must reject Satan's lies and accept God's truth.