Be Of Good Cheer?
Matthew 14:24-27 NKJV
24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
This is when reading, some translations lose some steam. I love reading the New King James Version of the Bible. I started out on the King James Version, but whenever I was reading to my children, I had to translate too many thee's and thou's. Small wars are fought over which translation is best. The best answer is the one that you will read. New King James is my primary, but I often use other translations for the sake of clarity. Be of good cheer is not very usable today. When was the last time you told someone to be of good cheer? In the case of our verses for today, I like how the NLT reads, "But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!"
I like how Jesus spoke to the disciples immediately when He heard their fear. He did not like scaring them. I believe the Lord has a great sense of humor, but I don't believe it involves scaring people. The disciples thought He was a ghost, and He immediately spoke and calmed their fears.
I also like what Jesus said to them. Don't be afraid, take courage, I am here. Jesus gave His disciples a reason to choose courage. He was with them. He was not a ghost. When Jesus says, don't be afraid, take courage, we can learn from that phrasing. When faced with fear, don't take that direction; take courage. Jesus told a man with a dying daughter to not be afraid, only believe. We don't just be afraid, we take the alternative route, courage that is sourced in belief. On the water, the courage the disciples could choose was because it was Jesus with them. And with Jesus present, they had the ability to resist the fear and take the courageous path.
Application
We have numerous opportunities to choose fear or courage. This is more than just being of good cheer; this is a choice. And because Jesus is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit, the words Jesus spoke to the disciples are still applicable today. Don't be afraid. Take courage, I am here, still works today. We are not seeing Jesus in the flesh, but the Holy Spirit, the Helper, is here. He is the Greater One who lives in us. Paul reminded Timothy of this when he said, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
So when the winds blow, and things look scary, don't be afraid. Take courage, you are not alone.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the ever-present Holy Spirit to help me and guide me. Because He is with me and in me, I can take courage.