Take Courage. I Am Here!

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

June 23, 2025

Take Courage. I Am Here!

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.  When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

Matthew 14:25-26

Jesus had been speaking to a crown of 5,000 men, plus women and children. When it was time to take a break for a meal, all the disciples could gather was five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus said that was enough and all the people ate all they wanted, and there were twelve baskets full of leftovers. Jesus took a break to go and pray and sent the disciples across the lake in their boat. Then a storm broke, and at 3AM, as they were in danger of being swamped, the disciples saw something on the water, and they were terrified.

Then Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here!” (Matthew 14:27)

It would be easy to criticize the disciple’s lack of faith as they had just witnessed Jesus feeding seven to ten thousand people with five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Easy that is, until I stop and think of all the times I have either failed, or have been very slow to discern the presence of God working in my life.

Six weeks ago, on May 12, I shared a line in my Daily Office bedtime prayer that has become very important to both Cheryl and me.

“Guide us waking, O Lord,

and guard us sleeping;

that awake we may watch with Christ,

and asleep we may rest in peace.” 

My Takeaway: That awake we may watch with Christ. I am finding this simple prayer to be very helpful in keeping me focused on God’s grace for today.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.