Young People’s Blog

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:25-27).

The Lord Jesus knew the distress the disciples were in, and He came to them, but in an unusual way. They thought it was an evil spirit and were afraid, but the Lord Jesus instantly reassures them that it was He who was walking on the water. His words, “Be of good cheer” must have really encouraged them.

Sometimes the Lord comes to us in our lives too, but in an unusual way. He may allow some strange or unfamiliar thing to happen that we think could only mean more trouble, yet it is the Lord Himself coming to our help. He knows the trouble we are in, and wants to reassure us—“Be of good cheer!” Let us not be afraid, but recognize that the Lord is over all the things that happen to us, and wants to encourage us. But He allows our faith to be tested sometimes.

Remember, all this happened in the fourth watch of the night—between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. They had been rowing most of the night, but the Lord had not forgotten them. We will see the end of the story on Monday.

“And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship…but the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary” (Matthew 14:22,24).

It is sometimes difficult to handle a boat in a storm, but some of the disciples were experienced fishermen who had worked on boats on the sea of Galilee for years. No doubt they had encountered storms before, and knew what to do. However, they had a real problem this time, and had rowed for hours without getting across the lake. Evidently they were rowing against a very strong wind, and they could not make headway. The sea of Galilee is only about eight miles (thirteen kilometers) wide, so that it is not that far for strong men to row a boat.

This sometimes happens in our lives too, although we may not be in a boat. But the Lord may allow difficult circumstances in our lives in order to make us realize that even though we are strong, mentally and physically, we cannot manage life’s problems without Him. Tomorrow we will see what eventually happened.

“Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young” (Psalm 84:3).

Different birds build different kinds of nests, and each one is marvelous in its own way. The nest of the swallow is particularly interesting, for it is built out of mud, although reinforced with bits of grass to hold it together. The swallow must fill its beak up to 500 times with dirt, then mix it with saliva, to form enough mud for its nest. Maybe you have seen one, for they often build them in barns, or even under the roofs of porches of houses. We have an elevated deck on our home, on the level of the second floor, and swallows regularly build their nests under it.

Swallows usually come back to the same nest year after year, and after a little repair work, it is ready for use again. Sometimes swallows use the same nest for many years. But how do they know how to do this? It is only the Lord who could have given them the wisdom to build a nest like this that will last for many years.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us…He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).

These are very encouraging verses, for much of the time, when we pray, we really do not know what we should pray for. We may ask for things that would not be good for us, or ask the Lord to take us out of some trouble that He has allowed for our good. But what happens when we pray?

The Spirit of God that dwells within us presents that prayer to the Lord, but He often does not present our prayer to the Lord exactly as we prayed. Rather, the Spirit of God knows what is best for us, and presents our prayer according to the will of God, and not according to our imperfect understanding of what is best for us.

This is very comforting, for the Lord always answers our prayers, but not always in the way that we expect. However, He answers them according to His will, which is always best. Let us never forget that the Lord wants the very best for us!

“There come to Him [the Lord Jesus] the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and say unto Him, By what authority doest Thou these things? And who gave Thee this authority to do these things?” (Mark 11:27-28).

When the Jewish leaders asked the Lord Jesus this question, He had just finished cleansing the temple, and chasing out all the money changers, those that sold doves, and other animals that were kept there to be sold for sacrifices. If you read the whole story, you will see that the Lord Jesus would not answer their question directly, but rather asked them a question that they could not answer.

The real truth was that the Lord Jesus had already given plenty of evidence that He was the Son of God, and thus had total authority over what went on in the temple. He had done many miracles—miracles that no other man had ever done. Also, He taught the people with authority, and in a way that no one else could teach. Yet those leaders still did not want to believe that He was the Son of God.

Sadly, there are many in this world who still will not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They may admit that He was a great prophet, but will not admit that He is God. This is very sad, for if Jesus is not God, then we have no Savior. But He is the Son of God, and He rose from the dead to prove it beyond any doubt.

“Verily I [the Lord Jesus] say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein” (Mark 10:15).

On the occasion that the Lord Jesus said this, His disciples had rebuked those who brought young children to Him, thinking that He did not have time for them. But the Lord Jesus was displeased with His disciples for doing this, and told them to let the children come to Him.

Then He explained that we all need to become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of God. Why did the Lord Jesus say that? It is because young children naturally are very trusting, and do not raise questions about what they are told. They do not suspect that someone is trying to trick them. Unless someone betrays their trust, young children believe what they are told.

When we come to the Lord Jesus, we must come with that same trust. We must believe that He loves us, and wants to bless us. He will never disappoint our trust in Him!

“Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

It is a solemn thing for us to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ was just, and that we were unjust. In order to bring us to God, He had to suffer for us. While it is not unusual in human history for someone to have suffered for someone else, yet there is nothing in man’s history to compare to the cross of Christ. Here was the Son of God, who came into this world in love and grace, nailed to a cross and left there, while people who passed by mocked and taunted Him, telling Him to come down if He could. Yet in that very place, where the very worst in man’s heart was being displayed, God was laying upon His Son the sins of millions of souls—souls that would eventually spend eternity in glory with that same Son of God who hung there. No human mind could have invented a story like that; it is well expressed in the words of another, “O God, the thought was Thine: Thine only it could be.”

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Today we have one final verse that tells us how we should behave toward others. We learned from other verses (in the last two days) how we should not take revenge on others who do wrong to us, but rather do our best to live peaceably with them. But here we are told to do something positive.

Whenever we have the chance, we are to do good to everyone, and especially to other believers. If we see someone else having a problem, it is easy to say, “Let them look after it themselves!” But you will remember the story of the good Samaritan, and how he helped the man who had been robbed and beaten up. The Lord Jesus told this story because it is a good example for us. We are to be ready to help others whenever we can, and especially other believers.

Also, when we help unbelievers, it gives us a good chance to tell them about the Lord Jesus. Many people have been saved in this way.

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).

Here is another verse that tells us how we should act in this world, in getting along with other people. When we go through this world, whether at school, at work, or in our spare time, we will encounter all kinds of people. Some people are easy to get along with, even though they are not believers. But with others, it may be very hard to have a good relationship with them. Some people are very unhappy in their lives, and seem to take pleasure in being irritable and grouchy.

As Christians, we are to do our best to get along with everyone, even if they make it difficult for us. Many unsaved people in this world are very unhappy, and their lives are not going well for them. They may have family troubles, troubles at work, money problems, etc. They often react by being difficult and hard to get along with. You and I are to do our best not to provoke them, but rather to live in peace with them. This may not always be possible, but we are not to be hard to get along with!

“Recompense to no man evil for evil…for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:17,19).

When someone does something wrong toward us, the first thought in our natural hearts is to think of some way to do something in revenge to them. That is why we see so much “road rage” on the highways today. That is why fights break out between people. That is why there are so many shootings today, especially in North America. Someone feels disrespected or wronged, and they fight back.

But our verses for today tell us not to do this. Rather, we are to remember that it is the Lord’s job to take vengeance on people who do wrong; it is not our job. The Lord sees all the wrong done in this world, and He will punish those who have wronged others. Our job as Christians is to show grace and love, and to tell them about Christ.