John 6:17-21
17And they took a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and still Jesus had not [yet] come back to them.
18Meanwhile, the sea was getting rough and rising high because of a great and violent wind that was blowing.
19When they had rowed three or three and a half miles they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water.
21Then they were willing to take him into the boat.
Observation
When was the last time you were in the middle of a lake or on the ocean, 3 1/2 miles away from shore? It's been a long time for me, but I do know that I could not see the shore and that was very unsettling to me. Think about these guys.
They are in a 1st century fishing boat, there are no Coast Guard approved Life Jackets under the seats; it is not just nighttime it is DARK nighttime; they are without Jesus; not only were the seas a bit rough but they were rising high(6-10 foot swells); and the wind was violent enough that it could destroy the boat they were in. They are not only in a precarious spot, but it is very probable that they would not survive the night. What were the emotions of the disciples? Were they feeling hopeless in the situation, were they feeling abandoned, were they questioning God as to where he was? What was spinning around in their head? But then Jesus does what He always does. He shows up! The disciples were do upset and full of panic that when they saw Jesus they were terrified. But Jesus brought words of Peace, "It is I; don't be afraid". Then they asked Jesus, WILLING, into the boat.
Application
I need to ask myself these questions?
1) When was the last time I felt alone/without a life preserver/saw nothing but darkness around me/felt tossed here and there by life/felt everything & everyone violently opposing me?
2) How did I respond when I was there?
3) What did I look like?
4) Who was I looking for?
Life is just like the disciples in the boat. I may feel alone, without hope, engulfed by darkness, tossed this way and that way, so what should I do!? I should do EXACTLY what they did; they willing took Jesus in. So the question for me is: Do I willing take Jesus in when I face any types of struggles? Or do I just keep rowing, fighting with all my might to go up against the struggle I face? What is my first reaction? As I grow in the Lord, my immediate first reaction should be to turn my eyes to heaven, open my hands to what I am holding onto for dear life, close my eyes to the turmoiling situation around me and ask Jesus to come with me in the journey I am going through.
Prayer
Father, Thank you for such a clear picture of how life throws us around, and what the solution is to bring about peace, and that is asking Jesus to come on board with me. You have given that to me, so that I can have life to the full. I ask that you would help me to willingly bring Jesus in, and that he not be my last resort. That just as my knee reacts to a doctors bang, I pray that with your guidance my first reaction to any time the enemy is making me feel alone/terrified/in a dark place/tossed around/everything is resisting me, I would wiling ask Jesus to come with me. I thank you that with Jesus I will make it to the shore! Amen.
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