7 Day Devotional Responding to a Global PandemicSample

Jesus calms our fears

As Jesus walked on water in the presence of his disciples, they were fearful because of the winds that were attacking the boat. Knowing whom Jesus Christ was and seeing him there should have calmed the disciples, but it did not. Shockingly, many of the disciples believed that they were seeing a ghost! Jesus tried to calm the disciples down by telling them to, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Knowing who Jesus is should keep us calm in this frightful and challenging time. Like the disciples, Jesus is still with us during this pandemic, so we must not be afraid!

 Keep your eyes on Jesus

In this passage Peter wanted to know if it really was Jesus walking on water, so he asked if he could come onto the water with him. Although the waves were still beating on the boat, Peter began to walk on water, proving that it was indeed Jesus. Nevertheless, the moment Peter took is eyes off Jesus, and started to look at dangers around him, he began to sink. Like Peter, we tend to focus more on the dangers around us rather than focusing on The One (Jesus) who will see us through it. In this season we must not be distracted by the chaos surrounding us, rather we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! It is easy to be consumed with the news and panic about what lies ahead in the future. But our safety has, and will always be, with Jesus who is standing right in front of us.

Only Jesus can save us

The moment Peter started sinking, he knew that the only person that could save him was Jesus, therefore he cried out to Him. Who do we call in our hour of need and times of trouble? Peter understood that there was no one that could rescue him but Jesus, and this is still the case today. Jesus is the only one that can save us and see us through these tough times. We also see from the passage that Jesus reached out his hand to save Peter. Jesus then tells Peter off for his lack of faith in him. I have come to realise that panic and fear often leads us away from our faith, as it causes our minds to wonder away from God. We must always remember that our security has, and will always be, right in front of us. So let us call out to Jesus with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us through this pandemic. If Peter really understood who Jesus was at that moment and did not doubt him, I believe he would have been running on water even in the midst of a storm!

So what does it look like to fix your eyes on Jesus during this time of uncertainty and chaos? It starts by reading and believing in his word, as written in the bible.