Walk, on the water (Mat. 14)

One of the most memorable scenes in the Bible happened after Jesus spent a night in prayer, by Himself, on a mountain -- then noticed that his disciples were having trouble getting across the lake. Being the benevolent soul, He walked on over to help out.

Sabaha karşı İsa, gölün üstünde yürüdüğnü görünce dehşete kapıldılar. "Bu bir hayalet!" diyerek korkuyla bağrıştılar. Ama İsa hemen seslenerek, "Cesur olun! Ben'im, korkmayın!" dedi.

And, a few more words:

• cesur -- courage
• Cesur olun! -- be brave!
• Ben'im! -- It's me!
  
• korkmak -- to fear
• korkmayın! -- don't be afraid!
  

One of our Turkish friends has a fear of dogs. "Köpeğe kormasınız?" I asked. Alas, I'd left out the k, and was asking them if they smelled the dog!

The most frequent command in the İncil is, korkmayın! Do not be afraid! When the Book of Revelation enumerates the kinds of folks who will not be welcome in the Heavenly City, the list starts with "the fearful and unbelieving." Apparently, our Lord knew that life is filled with things to be afraid of. Yet we also have His hand of protection upon us, and His power around us, and His angels standing guard over us. Faith, and reason, mark out the right course of action: be brave, and hang in there!