And he [Jesus] saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them… Mark 6:48
Does it seems as if God has passed you by in the midst of your struggles? Why would He?
Look at Mark 6:48 again. He meant to pass them by? Seriously?
It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t care. It wasn’t because He could walk on water and he wanted to rub that into his disciples’ faces – “Hey, look at me. A bad storm doesn’t phase me.”
Maybe Jesus meant to pass by to –
1. Get their attention so they would look to Him and not their problems.
2. Show them the way, like a beacon.
3. Prepare the way to calmer waters for them.
But instead, when they look upon God in the flesh, they were frightened and that fear clouded their belief. They thought they saw a ghost. How could this man they’d followed walk on water in a storm (even though he’d just fed thousands of people on one boy’s lunch)?
How often do we not trust God in our circumstances even though He has come through in the past in some miraculous ways?
So, according to Mark: immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. (vs.50-51a)
In the midst of our fear, God can speak to us, calm us down, or stop the winds that batter us. Or He may choose to just get our attention so we focus only on Him.
Either way, we can rest assure He will not ignore our plight.
Where Did You Find God Today? 