Sore Amazed

(part 2)

“When evening came the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed in the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed.”
Mark 6:47-51


Out on the lake, the disciples found themselves hungry, wet, scared, exhausted and totally overwhelmed. They were once again in an impossible situation. I am certain that they had employed every “natural” means of saving themselves that they could feasibly maneuver, but the situation only worsened. It was at that moment that Jesus comes passing by!

It is evident from the text that not one of them expected to see Jesus. If fact, they were terrified when they saw Him:

“But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.”
Mark 6:49-50

Their amazement at seeing Jesus show up, in the midst of their impossible situation, demonstrated that they were entirely more sensitive to the “natural world and it’s limitations” than they were to a supernatural move of God. Their thoughts were consumed with their situation and how to save themselves. However, they were only considering the “natural ways” of deliverance.

Like with the fish and the loaves, Jesus wanted them to stop being “dominated” by their natural thinking. The hardness of their hearts was caused from being more sensitive , set or influenced by natural thinking than by God’s Word. Remember, whose idea was it for them to get in the boat. Jesus constrained them to get in the boat and head back for Bethsaida. Again, He had put them in the middle of an impossible situation.

However, somewhere along the way they failed to remember that they were in the middle of God’s will. Like many of us, they assumed that “surely” anything God asks us to do is going to end up well and I am sure it did at the first. I would venture to say that the topic of discussion for the first mile or so was the miracle on the mountain, but as the wind and the waves began to beat against them their focus began to shift towards the precarious situation unfolding around them. After several more hours of fighting the wind and the waves…their hearts began to fill with fear and doubt. They had exhausted all their options.

They had failed to learn the lesson on the mountain! God has answers for impossible situations. They were prepared for many things as they started rowing across the sea of Galilee that day, except for God to answer their need supernaturally. Many of you may be facing impossible situations right now in your life. I want to encourage you not to get so wrapped up in trying to find a natural solution that you miss “Jesus passing by!”



Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com