April 27, 2018 IT IS I
Mark 6:47-48, 50-51: “And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land. And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea;…for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, ‘Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.’ And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished,”
As Jesus was sending the multitudes away, He instructed His disciples to get in the boat and cross over the sea to Bethsaida, where He would meet them later. The events that followed left the disciples “greatly astonished”-certainly an understatement-they see Jesus walking on the water, He gets in the boat with them-the storm stops! This is not only an interesting story to read about, it also gives us insight into the heart that God has for His people as demonstrated by what Jesus did on this particular occasion. The obvious message for us is found in the words-“And seeing them straining at the oars.” The fourth watch of the night was from 3:00 to 6:00 am. We learn from other accounts of these events that the disciples had battled the storm for some time and they no doubt feared for their life. We also learn from other passages that Jesus delayed His going to the disciples. Even though Jesus is not with us physically, He nonetheless “sees” us “straining” with in trials that come with living in this fallen world. There is an important principle at work in Jesus delaying His going to the disciples, and we do well to understand the reason for the delay. A major truth found throughout the scriptures is that God desires that we trust Him other than trusting in our self-this is a crucial issue for all believers. It is when we come to the end of ourselves, when we lay our self aside, when we acknowledge that our self is not sufficient, that God comes to us. Actually, God never leaves us, but He waits for us to call out to Him. We don’t know if the disciples were praying as they fought the storm or not, but they were likely feeling that their best effort at rowing was not enough-that’s the key. The sobering truth is that our self, our best effort, is insufficient for the storms of life as well as life in general. God is looking, and He is waiting for us to cry out to Him. God loves to rescue His people. There is no need to fear, but only to admit our need and our dependency on God. Let us be quick to confess that our strength is insufficient. Remember, nothing is hidden from the eyes of God.
Psalm 91:14-15 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Mark 6:47-48, 50-51: “And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land. And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea;…for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, ‘Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.’ And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished,”
As Jesus was sending the multitudes away, He instructed His disciples to get in the boat and cross over the sea to Bethsaida, where He would meet them later. The events that followed left the disciples “greatly astonished”-certainly an understatement-they see Jesus walking on the water, He gets in the boat with them-the storm stops! This is not only an interesting story to read about, it also gives us insight into the heart that God has for His people as demonstrated by what Jesus did on this particular occasion. The obvious message for us is found in the words-“And seeing them straining at the oars.” The fourth watch of the night was from 3:00 to 6:00 am. We learn from other accounts of these events that the disciples had battled the storm for some time and they no doubt feared for their life. We also learn from other passages that Jesus delayed His going to the disciples. Even though Jesus is not with us physically, He nonetheless “sees” us “straining” with in trials that come with living in this fallen world. There is an important principle at work in Jesus delaying His going to the disciples, and we do well to understand the reason for the delay. A major truth found throughout the scriptures is that God desires that we trust Him other than trusting in our self-this is a crucial issue for all believers. It is when we come to the end of ourselves, when we lay our self aside, when we acknowledge that our self is not sufficient, that God comes to us. Actually, God never leaves us, but He waits for us to call out to Him. We don’t know if the disciples were praying as they fought the storm or not, but they were likely feeling that their best effort at rowing was not enough-that’s the key. The sobering truth is that our self, our best effort, is insufficient for the storms of life as well as life in general. God is looking, and He is waiting for us to cry out to Him. God loves to rescue His people. There is no need to fear, but only to admit our need and our dependency on God. Let us be quick to confess that our strength is insufficient. Remember, nothing is hidden from the eyes of God.
Psalm 91:14-15 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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