{"id":863,"date":"2011-07-15T06:27:25","date_gmt":"2011-07-15T06:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=863"},"modified":"2011-07-15T06:27:25","modified_gmt":"2011-07-15T06:27:25","slug":"the-great-calm-%e2%80%9ctake-courage-it-is-i-don%e2%80%99t-be-afraid-%e2%80%9d-mark-650","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=863","title":{"rendered":"THE GREAT CALM \u201cTake courage! It is I. Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d Mark 6:50"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE GREAT CALM \u201cTake courage! It is I. Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d\u00a0Mark 6:50<\/a><\/strong>
\n\u201cIt is I\u201d (or as our old version has it, more in accordance with the original), \u201cI AM! do not be afraid!\u201d Jesus lives! His people may dispel their misgivings\u2014Omnipotence treads the waves! To sense it may seem at times to be otherwise\u2014wayward accident and chance may appear to regulate human allotments; but not so: \u201cThe Lord\u2019s voice is upon the waters\u201d\u2014He sits at the helm guiding the tempest-tossed bark, and guiding it well.
\nHow often does He come to us as He did to the disciples in that midnight hour when all seems lost\u2014\u201din the fourth watch of the night,\u201d\u2014when we least looked for Him; or when, like the shipwrecked apostle, \u201cThe terrible storm raged unabated for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.\u201d\u2014how often just at that moment, is the \u201cword of Jesus\u201d heard floating over the billows!
\nBeliever, are you in trouble? listen to the voice in the storm, \u201cFear not, I AM.\u201d That voice, like Joseph\u2019s of old to his brethren, may seem rough, but there are gracious undertones of love. \u201cIt is I,\u201d he seems to say; It was I, that roused the storm; It is I, who when it has done its work, will calm it, and say, \u201cPeace, be still.\u201d Every wave rolls at My bidding\u2014every trial is My appointment\u2014all have some gracious end; they are not sent to dash you against the sunken rocks, but to waft you nearer heaven. It is sickness? I am He who bore your sicknesses; the weary wasted frame, and the nights of languishing, were sent by Me. Is it bereavement? I am \u201cthe Brother\u201d born for adversity\u2014the loved and lost were plucked away by Me. Is it death? I am the \u201cAbolisher of death,\u201d seated by your side to calm the waves of ebbing life; it is I, about to fetch My pilgrims home\u2014It is My voice that speaks, \u201cThe Master has come, and calls for you.\u201d Reader, you will have reason yet to praise your God for every such storm! This is the history of every heavenly voyager\u2014\u201dSO He brings them to their desired haven.\u201d \u201cSo!\u201d That word, in all its unknown and diversified meaning, is in His hand. He suits His dealings to every case. \u201cSo!\u201d With some it is through quiet seas unfretted by one buffeting wave. \u201cSo!\u201d With others it is \u201cmounting up to heaven, and going down again to the deep.\u201d But whatever be the leading and the discipline, here is the grand consummation, \u201cSO He brings them unto their desired haven.\u201d It might have been with you the moanings of an eternal night-blast\u2014no lull or pause in the storm. But soon the darkness will be past, and the hues of morn tipping the shores of glory! And what, then, should your attitude be? \u201cLooking unto Jesus\u201d\u2014looking away from self, and sin, and human props and refuges and confidences, and fixing the eye of unwavering and unflinching faith on a reigning Savior. Ah, how a real quickening sight of Christ dispels all guilty fears! The Roman keepers of old were frightened, and became as dead men. The lowly Jewish women feared not; why? \u201cI know that you seek Jesus!\u201d Reader, let your weary spirit fold itself to rest under the composing \u201cword\u201d of a gracious Savior, saying\u2014
\n\u201cI wait for the lord, my soul does wait, and in HIS WORD do I hope.\u201d\u00a0John Mac Duff<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE GREAT CALM \u201cTake courage! It is I. Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d\u00a0Mark 6:50 \u201cIt is I\u201d (or as our old version has it, more in accordance with the original), \u201cI AM! do not be afraid!\u201d Jesus lives! His people may dispel their misgivings\u2014Omnipotence treads the waves! To sense it may seem at times to be otherwise\u2014wayward […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-john-macduff","category-believers-assurance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=863"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":865,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions\/865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}