Mark 6:48-50 (NIV)
He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, [49] but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, [50] because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

This passage reminds me of the beginning of Hamlet–it is spooky. Some guys on a boat, lost in a storm, see a ghost. No wonder they were terrified. They were in a scary place.

I remember reading Into Thin Air and marveling at the spookiness and privation of that story. Just stay off the mountain, people!!

But we all face death. If veteran fishermen can’t avoid a terrifying storm, then I should take comfort when my life is rocked by storm.

I am a stormaphobe. I want smooth sailing. But when each storm has threatened the boat of my life, I too have seen the Miraculous walking toward me on impossible waters.

Somebody else tells me to take courage and I might be inclined to snap. He says it and I listen.

Because his is the voice that can calm the storm.

Take courage
It is him
He is here.