Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost,
Weekly Devotional, Matthew 14:22-33
August 9, 2026
I AM with You; Stay in the Boat
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
This is our text.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Many times in Scripture, the sea is an image of chaos and disorder.
For example, in Psalm 65, we see the raging seas connected to the tumult of God’s people. But then God speaks and brings peace and order to the chaos.
[God is the one who] who by His strength... stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult [our mayhem] of the peoples. (Psalm 65:6–7, in part).
Jesus in John 16 promises that in this world we will have to endure the chaos of life’s stormy conditions, but that we can take courage because Jesus has overcome the world.
Indeed, Jesus treads upon our chaos, grabs us by the hand when we are sinking, keeps our heads above water, gets us back into the boat (the church) so that we can be with each other and keep our eyes focused on the One who calms the winds and the waves.
When Jesus spoke to His disciples and said, “Take heart; it is I,” the It is I in Greek (EGO EIMI) means I AM, which is the very name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus chapter 3.
Jesus is saying to His disciples (and to us) in the midst of the storm, “Take heart; I AM.” In other words, “Take courage, It’s Me, God. Don’t be afraid, I AM with you through all the storms of life. I have drowned all your sins in the sea of grace, and have overcome death with My eternal life.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Larry
The Free Gift of God’s Transformative Nutrition
Devotional from Pastor Larry
Our Old Testament reading for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (August 2, 2026) curiously says,
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)
This invitation reminds us of Christ’s own words to the woman at the well: “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14).
Scripture shines light on Scripture and teaches us that these are Gospel invitations from our Lord. Water, wine and milk represent God’s good and abundant gifts of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. Grace upon grace in Christ. Indeed, there are sacramental implications here, too. In these words, we think of the cleansing waters of our Baptisms. And in the wine, we consider the Lord’s Supper, and the precious blood of Christ shed for us for the forgiveness of all our sins. As our Isaiah passage continues, we learn that consuming God’s spiritual food is connected with hearing God’s Word, listening to Him...
Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live... (Is 55:2–3).
The lifegiving water, the joy and grace of God’s priceless offer of wine and milk, the rich food of His kingdom - all free, secured for us by Jesus Christ. No quantity of gold or silver can purchase what Christ has done. No amount of good works can earn it! We can only accept it as a gift. We receive our Savior’s finished work of redemption by faith. And faith is a gift from God, too, which comes by hearing the Good News of Christ proclaimed in our ears. Strangely enough, we drink Christ’s spiritual water, wine and milk, and eat of God’s “rich foods” by “inclining our ears of faith toward the Word of the Lord that endures forever. And it’s FREE, paid for by Christ’s perfect Sacrifice for us.
Why do we try to satiate our spiritual hunger and thirst with “food” that perishes? Why do we continue to seek meaning and identity in earthly things that pass away? Jesus at the feast in John chapter 7, stands and cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” Revelation 22 declares, “[L]et the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. In the hearing of these words, we have the invitation of Jesus to draw near to Him, and to receive His good gifts that truly satisfy our deepest and eternal hunger. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)
