“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
In Matthew chapter 14, Jesus feeds thousands of people through miraculous actions and afterward dismisses His disciples to board a boat to go ahead of Him. Following their departure, Jesus went to a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, the boat, which was a considerable distance from land, was buffeted by waves because of strong winds.
In the middle of the night, Jesus knew His disciples were in trouble, and He walked on water to them, and when He climbed into the boat, the wind died down. The disciples in the boat recognized Jesus saving them and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:22-23).
Interestingly, the disciples were doing nothing wrong, yet their lives were at risk. They were doing what Jesus told them to do but became helpless and at risk of dying. Can a similar situation as this happen with us? Let’s explore further.
I know someone who had his priorities in the right place and was following God’s will for him. Everything was going fine one day, and then the week that followed was like a major storm. He and his pet dog were threatened and attacked by a neighborhood “wolf-sized” dog; he had to discharge an employee from their workplace due to performance concerns.
Before the end of the week, he experienced a major stomach virus that was disabling for days. At the end of this week, the person recalled the misery he had endured while engaged in a mission of doing the work God had placed before him to do. His goal was to do the right things that would be pleasing to God, but yet bad things happened to him out of his control. Bad things can happen to us while we’re doing the right things.
I see a similar theme with the two stories described. People who were in the will of God and following the path and plan set out for them encountered stormy seasons. Though they had done nothing wrong, bad things happened to them. Regarding the disciples, Jesus came to them and rescued them, and as they survived, they knew from where their help came.
Similarly, the person who had a bad week while seeking to carry out God’s will recognized where his help came from God and His Son Jesus! As we move forward in life, carrying out God’s plan and will, we should be strong and courageous and not be fearful of our storms or tough moments because the Lord our God goes with us; He will never leave us nor forsake us! Amen!
Many blessings to you!
A Faithful Sower 