Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." (v 50)
Sometimes I remember things I learned back in Bible College! I remember that scholars have reflected on the deep significance of this story, not just for the disciples cowering in the bottom of the boat, but also for the original audience that Mark was writing his gospel for.
The first church was like a small boat tossed about on the waves, at the mercy of the storm of political and religious persecution that raged around them. Life was both scary and fragile. But Jesus came to both those first disciples and to those early Christians with words of reassurance. The wind died down, the waves stilled.
Jesus came to them. And Jesus comes to us. While the challenges and travails we face are in the main far less than those faced by the disciples and early church, nonetheless we need to hear Jesus say to us, "Take courage. It is I." When we face the uncertainty of a medical diagnosis, the pain of family conflict - whatever we face - Jesus' presence can still the wind and calm the waves.
Thank you Jesus that your presence stills the storms of my life. In you I am secure. With you I am able to conquer whatever life sends my way.