The people who ate the miracle meal were ready to make Jesus king right then and there. Jesus, always submitted to the Father’s timing, headed for the hills, demanding to be alone. The disciples grabbed their twelve baskets of left-over bread and took off across the Sea of Galilee without Him.
When ferocious winds began slapping the sea, the twelve, wet with sweat and spray, hit the panic button. I can relate to their fear. Tongue in cheek, I could say what Woody Allen said, “I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
Their fear expanded when they saw someone on the edge of darkness walking on the water. In just a few hours, they’d gone from a sunny, miraculous day in a meadow to a dark, terrifying night in a storm. Then, in fear’s high tide, they thought they saw a ghost. That’s when the ghost said to the superstitious sailors what God says over and over again in the Bible. “Don’t be afraid, I am here!” (John 6:20, NLT)
I would like to think my faith is strong enough to evict all fear from my life. I wish I were always full of fearless faith. David said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3, NIV) He was experiencing both faith and fear, like the man in the Bible who said to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.”
When the disciples recognized Jesus, their faith began to grow. Then they were willing to take Him into the boat. (John 6:21, NIV) The best thing to do in a storm is to get Jesus in the boat. He won’t force His way in. You have to invite Him.
Why wouldn’t everyone invite Jesus into their boat during a storm? On reason might be that when He comes in, He becomes the captain. I tend to trust myself to get things under control when they are out of control. I can think of several times in my life when it took a perfect storm to persuade me to take off the captain’s hat and give it to Jesus.
Life Spark: The best thing to do in a storm is to get Jesus in your boat. (John 6:16-21)
Life-questions: When was your last big life storm? Did Jesus show up? Is He wearing the captain’s hat right now?