Be of Good Cheer

~But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. Matthew 14:27

Matthew 14:22-36 is a familiar story; it is when Jesus Christ walks on the water. In verse 22, Christ constrains his disciples to get into the ship and to go before him unto the other side, while he goes up to the mountain to spend time in prayer. Now as the disciples are in the ship, it is being tossed with waves because of the strong wind. It is then that Christ walks upon the sea to meet up with his disciples and they are troubled thinking he was a spirit.

I never stopped to think about verse 22 until today. It is Jesus that constrained His disciples to get into the ship. To constrain is to force. They probably did not want to leave without Him, most likely because they feared. And again they feared once they saw Jesus walking upon the waters.

How often will Fear be a stumbling block in our life?

And when fear sets in, here come the soothing words of Jesus Christ. Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. Not only is He telling us to let go of fear, but to also be happy!

Here are some good things to be cheerful about concerning our Lord Jesus Christ:

His Divine Presence

And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:20

His Divine Providence

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18

His Divine Protection

O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Psalm 140:7

Christian, be of good cheer, even in the day of storm, for our Lord Jesus Christ is the God of all comfort!