“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them… (Mark 6:45-48)
I remember hearing this story in Sunday School, but I never recalled Jesus meaning to just pass by his disciples.
I don’t know about you but I always imagined Him walking straight to the boat and calming the wind. But here we see that going to the boat was never Jesus original intention. It says right in verse 48 that “he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.” Before he ever started walking on the water he knew that they were struggling.
Then sometime between 3am and 6am he decides to start heading to the other side. From the start of his journey, he had planned on just meeting them at the other side. But as he was walking across the lake something happened.
“And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified.” Mark 6:48-50
Jesus whole plan was changed as soon as his disciples cried out for help. Up until then, he had complete confidence that they could make it to the other side.
An even cooler part of this story is that, as soon as they cried out for help, Jesus immediately spoke to them and calmed their fears.
How many times do we go through some heartache waiting for someone to jump in and help? I know for me, I have found myself questioning why God let me go through some things. Truth is, He has complete faith in my ability to make it through the storm. He is my number one cheerleader. He goes ahead and waits to meet with me at the next milestone in life. But at the moment that I simply open my mouth (not just think in my head) and ask for help, he will meet me in my trouble and help me get to my destination.
Check out how the story ends… “But immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased.” Mark 6:50-51
When the wind is against you and it seems impossible to make it through, ask for help. It may seem like God isn’t interested in helping you, but I promise, every time you ask for help, he will send in the rescue team and help you get to the other side.