# 244 In the Boat With Jesus

The Book of Genesis

Day 244

Ge 26:23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake." 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

The Philistines have pushed Isaac back by filling any wells that he had dug, sending the message, “You are not welcome here.”  So he finds himself at Beersheba.It was at Beersheba that his father Abraham had made a covenant of peace with another Abimelech. It was also at Beersheba that Abraham had planted a tamarisk tree and called on the name of the everlasting God.  Now, years later, God would use this special place to assure Isaac that all is well between he and the Lord. He appears to Isaac and assures him that he need not have any fears because, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not fear for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

Think about this and meditate on these words. The God of Abraham (who had an awesome track record with Isaac’s father) appears to him and virtually promises the same good things for Isaac. The line of the Messiah will continue through Isaac and his descendants!

And the God of the universe speaks to Isaac and tells him to remove fear from his vocabulary because God will be with him! . We know of course that the Scriptures say that God is love. (1 Jn 4:8) And being God, He is perfect, and the Bible also tells us that “perfect love casts out all fear!” (1 Jn 4:18) Therefore as followers of Christ, we too may remove ourselves from fear, because Jesus has promised to be with us through thick and thin. Joh 14:18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

And:

Mt 28:20b "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.”

I am reminded of the time Jesus and his disciples hopped into a boat to get to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. (Luke 8:22-25) A terrible storm rose up and Jesus was sawing logs in the boat. The disciples thought they were going to die and woke up Jesus with these words, “We are perishing!” Jesus rebuked the winds and waves, He calmed the sea, and then rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. (“Where   is your faith?” Verse 25) You see, in verse 22 Jesus had told the disciples, “Let us go across to the other side,” that should have been all the disciples needed to hear. If Jesus said let’s go to other side, then He will get you there.

Listen, when God calls us with the gospel and makes us His children,  Jesus promises to get us to the other side as well. Fear not! He is with you no matter the life storm that comes your way.  So when fear wells up in your heart, remember these words, they will help you weather the storm,. 2Ti 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” There is no sounder mind, than the one that finds itself in the same boat with Jesus!