Episode Details

Read: Matthew 14:25-31

Jonah climbed up the playset at the park close to his family’s apartment. Sirens wailed as he settled at the top and looked at the city around him.

“Come on, Lydia.” Jonah offered his hand to his little sister. “It’s really cool once you get all the way up here.”

“It’s scary.” Lydia shook her head and started to go backwards down the ladder. “I’m going to stay on the ground by Nana.”

Jonah looked to where their grandma sat on a bench, taking a work call on her phone. She was busy, and he knew Lydia wouldn’t have any fun if she chose to sit by her instead of playing with him.

“I won’t let you fall,” Jonah said. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“Okay.” Lydia started to climb up again.

A gust of wind blew across the park, and Lydia’s eyes grew wide. “It’s windy. I’m scared.” She went back down to the ground and hugged herself tight. “You should come down too.”

Jonah moved to the slide and slid down, then walked over to his sister and put his arms around her. “Do you remember the story of Peter in the Bible?”

“He walked on water,” Lydia said.

Jonah nodded. “But as soon as the wind blew, he got scared. He began to sink, and Jesus caught him. I’m not Jesus, but I’ll look out for you, Lydia. That wind isn’t going to blow you down. We’ll be safe.”

“We can all be like Peter sometimes,” Grandma said, coming up beside them. “I trust God to take care of you two and your mom, but as soon as I hear about anything bad happening here in the city, I worry about the three of you living alone. The wind and other scary things can make all of us doubt. But Jesus is still with us in those times. He died to give us eternal life with Him, and we can trust Him to be with us no matter what.”

Grandma put a hand on Lydia’s shoulder. “I bet you can see pretty far from the top. Why don’t you climb up with Jonah and try it out?”

Jonah hurried to move up the ladder. “Come on, Peter,” he said. “If you get scared, I’ll reach out and hold your hand, just like Jesus did.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Do you trust God even when things start to get a little scary? Or do you start to have doubts? Bad things happen sometimes, but Jesus promises to be with you when they do. Even when your faith falters, He is there to catch you and hold you up. He gave His life to save you, and He won’t ever abandon you. When you feel scared because of what’s going on around you, trust Him.

Today’s key verse: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Trust God when you’re scared