When we focus on Jesus, logic doesn’t work. I mean, he is walking on WATER!!! There is no explanation but there is something about this man who shows us, who compels us, who demands that we understand he is not going to fit into our nice neat little boxes, who simply says to us, “Be encouraged. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Our English translation does not do us any favors with this verse. In Greek, it is so much more. This line isn’t just Jesus saying to disciples, “Hey guys. It’s me. No need to worry.” It is really Jesus making an identity statement…because Jesus is saying to disciples, “Be encouraged. I AM. Don’t be afraid.” We recognize the I AM… from God speaking to Moses saying I am who I am, to God speaking with Job saying I am the one who has been since the beginning of time, to all the I am statements in the Gospel of John, the author of Matthew is letting us know we do not need to fear because God is.
August 16, 2026
Finding God in the Chaos: Listening to the Still, Small Voice
Part 3: “In the midst of the storm, there is security”
Matthew 14:22-33
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
In the midst of the storm, there is security Matthew 14:22-33
I have heard from many of you that you have appreciated the artwork and conversation which has started the sermons these past few weeks. Unfortunately, there is no artwork for today but there is a video clip…and I will give everyone a heads up that there is some language.
(Show 6-minute video clip from Forrest Gump movie, time stamp – 2:22-8:25)
“He made his peace with God” or in terms of our text today… “Truly you are the Son of God.” I wanted to share this particular clip because we have all been there, raging at God, as the storm clouds billowed around us. And we are not alone in this moment of shouting at God in the storms. It is a well-known technique in the movies and literature to have the main character have a “come to Jesus” moment where the main character brings all their hurt, all their anger, all their frustration to God and holds God accountable for the way the world, for the way life has not lived up to hopes and expectations. Even in our sacred story, there is the story of Job, who after losing everything, finally calls God out for the unfairness and random cruelty which often happens in life. And much like Lieutenant Dan, all those main characters, even Job, finally make their peace with God after being reminded God is God and we are not.
Now I know it seems like I am offering an easy answer to the complications and storms which often happen in life. Please hear me say that I am not. What I am saying that I am grateful for a sacred story that gives permission, that encourages, that reminds us that our God is so much bigger than we can imagine, and that our God can handle our anger, our frustration, our hurt, that God would prefer that we bring all of that to God rather than walking away, when I say God is God and we are not, I am reminding everyone, including myself, just exactly who our God is…our God is faithful from generation to generation, our God is steadfast, our God has named us and claimed us, our God has promised us that love and light will always have the last word.
Since the beginning, God has been telling God’s people this. We just haven’t been fully paying attention. Because every time God tells us who God is, God says I am who I am, I am that I am. Even in our text today, when Jesus comes walking to the disciples, he says, “Be encouraged. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
A little background to help us understand the significance of this particular phrase because our English translation does not do us any favors. In Hebrew, this phrase can be translated as I will be who I will be, or I create what I create, or my favorite, I am the Existing One. In regard to our text today, the I am statement is so much more than Jesus saying to disciples, “Hey guys. It’s me. No need to worry.” It is about Jesus making an identity statement. Jesus is saying to disciples, “Be encouraged. I AM. Don’t be afraid.”
That “I am “statement helps us confess who our God truly is…the one who offers a word of encouragement to the disciples is the same God who spoke to Moses before sending him back to Egypt to confront the Pharaoh. It is the same God who spoke to Job saying I am the one who has been since the beginning of time. It is the same God who tells us that I am the Bread of Life, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, I am the Vine, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the World, all of the I am statements which God has shared with God’s people since the beginning of our story, all of them let us know that we have nothing to fear because of who our God is.
Because this story, and every other story, whether they are found within our sacred text or we experience them in our own lives, these stories about the storms which happen in our lives, these stories about how we become overwhelmed by the circumstances surrounding them, these stories are about us as faithful followers having nothing to fear… not because of what we should or could do. Not because we need to have more faith. Not because we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. No, these stories about the storms in our lives are about how we have nothing to fear because of who God is and God can do.
Because you see, this story is not about Peter. This story is not about us. It is about Jesus, the same Jesus who welcomes our doubts, the same Jesus who understands our fears and our worries, the same Jesus who calls us to be in relationship with our God and with one another, inviting us to bring it all, our joys, our concerns, our sorrows, our anger, our frustration because the world is not what we hoped it would be. The same Jesus who reminds us over and over again that we do not have to pretend that everything is fine. Rather, instead, he tells us to be encouraged. He gives us permission to name the storm which we are experiencing openly and fully. Rather instead, he calls us to ground ourselves in the knowledge that no matter what, that we are safe and secure from all alarms because God is here, because of what God can do, because of who our God is.
Or let me say it this way… Matthew throws in the detail that while the boat was far from shore and being beaten by the waves and wind, Jesus came toward the disciples walking on the water.
Let’s stop right there and sit with that for a moment. Jesus is walking on water. But we miss this miracle because we are so focused on Peter’s attempt.
Maybe that is because we have heard so many sermons which compel us to have more faith. After all, that’s what Jesus tells Peter, calls Peter… “you of little faith”. Or maybe we are so focused on Peter’s attempt because we see ourselves in him. We too are trying to be faithful in a world with choppy waves and damaging winds. Or maybe we are so focused on Peter because it is the only logical thing about this story.
Because when we focus on Jesus, we realize logic doesn’t work. We realize that our rules do not apply. We realize that everything we created and built for security falls away, leaving us vulnerable and we don’t like it. So, we focus on Peter and his attempt. Otherwise, we would have to sit with the Truth which is simply this…Faith is not about having a storm free life. Faith is about knowing God is present in the midst of the storms, that in the midst of chaos and changing circumstances, we have the assurance that we are not alone, that in the midst of the storm there is security because of who our God is and what our God can do. May it be so. Amen.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, August 16, 2026 – In the midst of the storm, there is security Matthew 14:22-33.
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