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Mark 6:48-50 - Following Jesus in the Storms of Life.

Mark 6:48-50 (NLT) He saw that they were in
serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against
the wind and waves. About three oclock in the
morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the
water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when
they saw him walking on the water, they cried out
in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50 They
were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus
spoke to them at once. Dont be afraid, he
said. Take courage! I am here!

Matthew 14:26-27 (NLT) When the disciples
saw him walking on the water, they were
terrified. In their fear, they cried out, Its a
ghost! 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once.
Dont be afraid, he said. Take courage. I am
here!

COMMENTARY PEARL

Gephyrophobia is a phobia of bridges. I
once had a friend who would have someone drive
her across Marylands Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a
breathtaking four-mile-long, 185-foot-high expanse.
Apparently the fear for many is the imagined threat of
losing control, careening through the guardrails,
and plummeting to the ground below. Someone else
driving is reassurance enough to quell the terror.
I dont have a fear of bridges. But
fear of losing control? I have that by the
bucketful. And yet its obvious that driving across
the bridge of life is risky. The solution for me
is the same: let someone else drive. When I
gave my life to Christ, I handed Him the keys to
my car. Wrestling over who gets to drive
hasnt worked so well.
In the past few weeks, Jesus has used a
variety of methods to remind me I gave Him the keys.
He has the keys. He is the Key. For one thing,
I was without a car for a week while my
husbands car was in the shop, and we toiled over
whether to repair it or get another. Being carless
forced me to be still and let Jesus sort out a
flurry of concurrent challenges over which I had no
control. Sometimes Jesus has to immobilize me -
through circumstances I cant control - to
encourage me to hand over the keys to my life. Again.

Will I let Him drive over the current
bridge, allowing me to simply enjoy the view?
Will I give Him back the keys? by
Isabella Yosuico
Faith Step: Are you clinging to
something? Take a special trip to a nearby bridge and
imagine entrusting the keys to Jesus. [Mornings With
Jesus 2020 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]

COMMENTARY

Lifeguards know there is danger in saving
someone who is drowning, because people panic. More
than one lifeguard has lost his or her life from
being drowned by the person they were trying to
save. Its one of the reasons lifeguards use
flotation devices. Theyre for drowning people to
hold on to.
I think sometimes the Lord waits until
weve exhausted our resources before He comes
through. As the disciples battled a violent storm on
the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came to them at the
last moment, but when the time was just right,
walking on the sea.
Perhaps Jesus walked to them on the water
to show His disciples that the very things they
feared"the wind and the waves"were only a staircase
for Him to reach them.
The disciples, however, didnt know it
was Jesus, and they cried out in terror. Why
didnt they recognize Him? I believe its because
they werent looking for Him. God is there, but
often we dont see Him because we arent
looking for Him. And we never will know Jesus as
deeply as we can until He comes to us in the midst
of a storm in our lives.
Someone once asked me what the most
spiritual moment of my life was, the moment when I
sensed Gods presence more tangibly than any
other time. That moment was right after my son
Christopher died. I wouldnt wish that on anyone, but
that is when God manifested His presence to me in
such a tangible way. My wife and my son Jonathan
have told me it was the same for them.
God came to us in a way that was unique,
carrying us through. He gave us what we needed when
we needed it. And He will do the same for you.
[By Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]

As the disciples battled a fierce storm
on the Sea of Galilee, they probably were
thinking, Where is Jesus?
He was watching them. You might say,
Well, Greg, isnt that a long distance from a
mountain to the middle of the Sea of Galilee?
Yes, but this is the Son of God. He knows
everything that is going on. Jesus wasnt watching
the disciples impassively. In fact, Im sure
He was praying for them right there.
The disciples could not see Jesus, but He
could see them. He was interceding for them. He
was concerned for them. And He was going to take
care of them through all of this. They didnt
see Him, but He was there.
Did you know that Jesus is praying for
you as well? The Bible says that He is in
Heaven, interceding for you right now: Christ
Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us,
and he is sitting in the place of honor at
Gods right hand, pleading for us (Romans 8:34
NLT).
After watching, after praying, Jesus came
to them. But notice when that was: About
three oclock in the morning Jesus came toward
them, walking on the water (Matthew 14:25 NLT).
That is the last part of the evening, just before
the breaking of day. This means the disciples
had been at sea, struggling in this radical
storm for nine hours.
Why did Jesus wait so long? We dont
know the answer. I dont think God is ever
late, but sometimes it may seem as though He is
late. Perhaps Jesus was waiting for them to
completely exhaust their resources. Its been said,
When you get to the end of yourself, you get to
the beginning of God. That is an opportunity
for God to show His glory. [By Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]

In the book of Mark, chapter six, we read
that the disciples got into a boat, at night, and
took out across the sea. In their obedience to
Jesus, the disciples ran directly into a storm.
Their obedience literally took them into the
nucleus of a disaster.
I wish I could tell you that following
Jesus means you will never have to face any
storms. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus
means that the waters of life will always be calm.
I wish I could tell you that following Jesus
means life will be rosy and all of your days
sweet. But I can't.
These disciples were following Jesus, and
they ran right into rough-seas. The disciples
discovered, as many of us have also discovered, that you
can be both in the center of God's will, and
still in a storm.
There is a lot of preaching today as well
as many Christian books that tell you that if
you follow Jesus, than you will never have to
face any challenges in life. That wasn't true for
Jesus, or for anyone else I know who has followed
Him. Following Jesus doesn't offer immunity from
troubles. What it does give is the opportunity to
experience Him in the midst of the trouble.
Life comes with troubles, regardless of
whether or not you follow Jesus. You get to choose
if you want Him to join you in your troubles,
or if you'd rather go through them alone.
[Alternative View with Dr. Tony Evans;
https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/alternative-view-with-dr-tony-evans/ re Mark 6; Psalms 10]

CLOSING THOUGHT

After Jesus disciples fought a raging
storm for nine cold hours, at about 4:00 AM the
unspeakable happened. They spotted someone coming on the
water. A ghost! they said, crying out in
terror. (Matthew 14:26 MSG). They didnt expect
Jesus to come to them this way.
Neither do we. We expect him to come in
the form of peaceful hymns on Easter Sundays or
quiet retreats. We expect to find Jesus in morning
devotionals and meditations. We never expect to see him
in a divorce or a foreclosure. We never expect
to see him in a storm. But its in a storm
that he does his finest work, for it is in storms
that he has our keenest attention.
Jesus replied to the disciples fear
with an invitation worthy of inscription on every
church cornerstone and residential archway,
Dont be afraid, he said. Take courage. I am
here! (Matthew 14:27). [Max Lucado Daily
Devotional at maxlucado.com]

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC

Luke 9:23 - HOW TO FOLLOW JESUS.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190821-1039.html

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo

Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782

Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE

Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (currently live):
https://bible.awr.org/the-warning/

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens

The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657