Nougat 18

There is a Jamaican ballad about a prank played on the singer that underscores the saying, ‘what is joke fi you is death fi me’, while capturing the background to today’s Holy Nougat

“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Take courage

Wonderful words in the middle of any stressful moments. Especially when the person behind the words is Jesus! How the disciples must have felt when they confirmed that it was truly Jesus. And they took no chances – it was early in the morning; too early for decent and respectable humans to be awake. For it was roughly ‘duppy start walk, and dog fraid fi bark’ o’ clock (I couldn’t resist the Jamaican expression there!). Jesus had left them all night to pray and suddenly someone else came towards them out at sea. I can only imagine the stress that it caused.

Can you see the disciples nudging each other in between bailing water, trying to see if they were all seeing the same thing? I can hear the teeth chattering, and not from cold! More so, when they each realized ‘it was a ghost!’ Do you hear the rush of prayer, the if onlys passing through their minds? Then a voice they knew cut through the anxiety, ‘calm down, it is only me!’

Should they have been relieved or still fearful? In my culture, ghosts sound like our beloved souls. They slide through walls and though Jesus was alive and the ghost walked on water – Hmmn, it must have been rough! (Makes me think Jesus was a big time prankster!)

Have you been there? In a moment when it was do or die? When you felt as if only the demons from hell were around you and right there, at the moment when all hope was lost, then Jesus came through and took the fear and panic away? Did you cry out for Jesus first, or did His intervention come even before you called? How did you feel?

More importantly, upon realizing that Jesus came through for us, what was our response? Did we stop to say thanks, or did we continue as though Jesus didn’t come through yet again? I have done both, but sincerely hope that my gratitude has outnumbered my selfish moments.

And if we’re engulfed in such a spirit-crushing moment now, I pray we hear Jesus’ voice, ‘it is I, don’t be afraid.’

Listen to Duppy Gun man

The story behind the song

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May all we seek be found in Christ