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Jesus Walks On Water  

Thoughts on the Passage

After the feeding of the 5000 people, Jesus sent the disciples across the sea while He stayed and prayed. The story is again mentioned in the various gospels, and they focus on different aspects. I have included two here to highlight a special concept – Jesus was watching their struggles.

The disciples are tired physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

Physically, they have ministered to thousands of people, and now they spend all night trying to get a boat across the lake. It is one thing to work hard all day – it is another challenge to keep it up all night as well. We see that Jesus is on the shore watching them as they struggle.
Emotionally, it has been a busy day as well. Dealing with the death of John the Baptist (many were disciples of John before they joined Jesus), dealing with the emotional challenges of the huge crowd (they needed healing and feeding – the joy of this drains emotional reserves) and now the fear of a violent storm on the lake. This is incredibly difficult to just keep going emotionally. Jesus is watching this as well.
Spiritually, it was a challenging day and night. They struggled knowing what to do when Jesus told them to feed the multitudes. Now they were crossing the sea trying to be faithful to word of Jesus – but it is the fourth watch of the night (between 3am and 6am) and everyone is exhausted. Jesus is watching. 

And now He is coming to them.

Jesus comes in a way that they do not expect – He walks on the water. It is so unexpected that they do not recognize Jesus when He shows up. Also, when Jesus gets into the boat, there is another miracle – they are suddenly at the edge of the lake at their destination. 

Application

Jesus is watching the struggles you go through. These extreme challenges reveal our hearts like nothing else. Do we get offended by God? Do we give up on a God who seems to abandon us at critical times? Do we struggle in our faith – but keep going anyway? Jesus is not an unconcerned observer. He is watching – and He is wanting to build us into a people who can handle challenges that cause others to quit. I want to be that kind of person. I want us to be a Church like that as well.

Time to Pray

Father, as I look at my life, I have gone through some challenging times – and I wondered if You were too busy to notice my problems. I know it is not true, but at times I wonder…. The bigger challenge is understanding why You watch when we go through such deep testing. I know some of Your children who were so hurt by Your responses that they no longer walk with You. These extreme challenges reveal our hearts more than we realize. Help me today, so that I am ready for the next test. When it comes, give me the will of these disciples – to keep going even when I want to quit. When it comes, give me eyes that look for Jesus – because I know He will come for me too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.