The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
John 6:18-19
Swimming in the Gulf off the west coast of Florida from our beautiful beaches is much easier than swimming on the east coast where the waves are big enough to surf and the water is much colder. Unless you can bring up an image of Tampa Bay or the Western beach coast when it is really storming, those of us on the west coast of Florida may not appreciate the idea of being out at sea, in a boat, in stormy water at night. Scary stuff. Even as native fishermen, I am sure these men were wishing they were sitting near a warm fire rather than on the rocking boat. When Jesus showed up, I would've thought I died and gone to Heaven! But at this point in their spiritual walk, these men were simply afraid.
We too get simply afraid. We can fear many things and even things like impending doom or every day disasters that may or may not come to pass, so it is important we take these words of Jesus and the image of Him walking on the stormy wavy waters into our hearts as well as in our minds. This image of Jesus can then be comforting, knowing that when we face stormy weather and the trials of life, we will be reminded that these too shall pass, just as the storms pass eventually and who remains? God does. So let's stay with that thought especially when we become afraid or worried about our future.
