Jesus met Peter in the middle of the night, in the middle of a storm. That's what Jesus does—he meets us right where we are—in the middle of our darkest night or our worst storm, he is there with us.
In this insightful message from Pastor Brandon Cole, we can see how to respond in the middle of the storm.
"Take courage, I am here," Jesus said as he walked toward Peter's boat. Pastor Brandon points out that whenever God says "take courage" or "take heart," He follows with, "I will be with you." Everything about courage is predicated on the idea that God is with us.
The word "Courage" comes from the Latin word "cor," which means "heart." Brandon states that when a man's "core" or "heart" is healthy and strong, he can get by with being a little less talented or a little less practiced because God is with him.
In the story, Jesus reassures the disciples that, even in the midst of the storm, they will be ok because their heart is ok, knowing Jesus is with them. Peter then responds, “If it’s you, command me to get out of the boat!”
In this great video teaching, we learn that whereas Peter's heart was once afraid, it became full because he was assured Jesus was with him. Because of that, he had courage. As men, our biggest issue and fight is with our own hearts. Men don't thrive with an empty heart. Our hearts direct our hands. When our hands are doing something that seems empty, we can trace it back to our hearts.
Jesus says “oh you of little faith” not to condemn our hearts, but to reaffirm to us what the Father says throughout Scripture, “I’ve got you." When we believe this, our heart, our "cor," is filled. We will have the courage, the "heart," to do what we've never done before.
This is why Jesus can say to each of us today, "Take heart...for I have overcome the world!"
Take Courage, Take Heart
