"Take Heart; It is I. Do Not Be Afraid."
Today at lunch I opened up my Bible...because it has become ever clearer to me that without spiritual food to nurture my own heart with, I will be void of what I need to pour into others; namely, my students. I read a familiar passage: Mark 6:45-52. It is the story of Jesus walking on water. Heard it before? Yeah, me too. But I had this push in my heart to just sit and take it in for a moment-a push that I knew came from the Holy Spirit, wanting to reveal truth from the Word to me. I got really excited at that point, because nothing lights up my heart like the knowledge that God is about to talk to me...ME! Plain 'ol sinner me...He wants to talk to me. What an incredible concept.
I read through it slowly, thinking about the situation and allowing it to play out in my mind...imagining the faces of those; imagining their thoughts. Here is what the passage reads as: "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 abut 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 saw Him and were terrified. 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. And they were utterly astounded..."
So much to look at in this passage! I'd like to share what go brought to my heart and mind as I studied this. First, I almost laughed at the beginning because He sort of just sent them off without Him, and He didn't wait around! I wondered if they were like, "hey, why aren't you coming??" Sometimes we wonder why God sends us off somewhere because it seems as though He has sent us off without Himself, but surely, as this passage shows, He is quite aware of what is going on. Reminds me of God's sovereignty; He always knows what He is doing, even when we questions why we are being sent off.
I also thought about how it is pointed out that Jesus went to pray after. I think oftentimes, we walk out of a situation where we have just been part of God moving significantly and it is easy to walk away and forget to come back to that humble place on our knees where we acknowledge our Lord and Savior, Who He is, and what He does. A powerful reminder...even Jesus sought the Father in this way!
As the passage continues, it again mentions the fact that Jesus is not with the disciples, but in the next sentence clearly states HE SAW. He saw that "they were making headway painfully." HE SAW that they were struggling. HE SAW that they were hurting. HE SAW. How critical it is to remember that HE SEES. It is so easy to turn our eyes from God and think we've been forgotten because we can not see God in our boat and all we see is the raging storm...but He sees. This concept rocks my heart and encourages me more than I can express!!
Another piece that stuck out to me here was the mention that the reason they were making headway painfully is that the wind was against them. There will be times when the wind is against you...the Bible clearly mentions that as followers of Christ we will endure hardships of many kinds...but those same passages leave in their wake a trail of hope as they voice the anthem, "take heart...for I have overcome the World!"
Next, it points out that when evening came, Jesus saw. But notice He doesn't physically appear until the 4th watch of the night, which would be 3AM. Why? Why does He wait that long when He saw hours ago the struggle they were in? I can't say for sure. Maybe he wanted them to realize self-dependence was futile...maybe He wanted them to take in the intensity of the storm to realize what they were being saved out of...it doesn't really matter why...what matters is that we an always trust the intention of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes He chooses something and we are screaming and crying out, not understanding why. But perhaps that is why the Word warns us to not lean on our own understanding but to look to Christ and our path will be made straight. When we rely on our own eyes to view what only He fully understands, we miss Him...and from the sounds of the next passage, the disciples were on their way to "missing Him."
They were terrified when God showed up; they didn't recognize Him. They didn't yet quite understand Who it was they had encountered. Sometimes we miss God when He shows up...but in His loving kindness, He responded IMMEDIATELY, the Word tells us, and told them these three amazing things: " Take Heart; It is I. Do not be afraid." Wow. Can you even imagine the impact of those words in the middle of that situation? Life is hard. We will come up against that nasty wind at times and struggle for hours and hours, wondering why we can't see Jesus in our boat, wondering where He is...and I'd just like to encourage those who take the time to read this that HE SEES! He is aware, and is working even when we can't see. He knows what is best and will not leave us alone in our time of need; He will show up at the absolute perfect time, and this is what His Word says: 1. Take Heart...don't lose hope. Keep your eyes fixed on Christ. He is the hope that will always stand, when everything and everyone else in life will fail us. No matter how strong that wind is, or how impossible it looks to overcome, the Word says TAKE HEART. 2. It is I. I don't know if there is any phrase that could be more comforting to someone than God letting us know it is HIM who has showed up in our situation. And 3. Do not be afraid. He doesn't say try not to be scared, or do your best...He just says don't. Period. There is no reason to fear when God is on scene...there is no wind that is too much for Him.
Hold on to hope. It's God Who is there...Who sees, Who has known all along. There is no longer any reason to fear. He then got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. WOW! I don't know about you, but that image of the mere presence of my God and the power it displays is amazing. They were astonished...they didn't quite know just who they had in their presence at that moment, but they would continue to find out. Sometimes it takes meeting a fierce wind to notice God and His power. Would they have even paid attention if it was an evening of smooth sailing? Who knows. But they for sure could not miss this glorious display of power by the King of Kings. I have to think that in our own lives, sometimes, we need to be patient in our struggle with the wind and remember that HE SEES; remember to take heart and remember it is HIM who is a present help in time of need, and we have nothing to fear...
I read through it slowly, thinking about the situation and allowing it to play out in my mind...imagining the faces of those; imagining their thoughts. Here is what the passage reads as: "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 abut 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 saw Him and were terrified. 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. And they were utterly astounded..."
So much to look at in this passage! I'd like to share what go brought to my heart and mind as I studied this. First, I almost laughed at the beginning because He sort of just sent them off without Him, and He didn't wait around! I wondered if they were like, "hey, why aren't you coming??" Sometimes we wonder why God sends us off somewhere because it seems as though He has sent us off without Himself, but surely, as this passage shows, He is quite aware of what is going on. Reminds me of God's sovereignty; He always knows what He is doing, even when we questions why we are being sent off.
I also thought about how it is pointed out that Jesus went to pray after. I think oftentimes, we walk out of a situation where we have just been part of God moving significantly and it is easy to walk away and forget to come back to that humble place on our knees where we acknowledge our Lord and Savior, Who He is, and what He does. A powerful reminder...even Jesus sought the Father in this way!
As the passage continues, it again mentions the fact that Jesus is not with the disciples, but in the next sentence clearly states HE SAW. He saw that "they were making headway painfully." HE SAW that they were struggling. HE SAW that they were hurting. HE SAW. How critical it is to remember that HE SEES. It is so easy to turn our eyes from God and think we've been forgotten because we can not see God in our boat and all we see is the raging storm...but He sees. This concept rocks my heart and encourages me more than I can express!!
Another piece that stuck out to me here was the mention that the reason they were making headway painfully is that the wind was against them. There will be times when the wind is against you...the Bible clearly mentions that as followers of Christ we will endure hardships of many kinds...but those same passages leave in their wake a trail of hope as they voice the anthem, "take heart...for I have overcome the World!"
Next, it points out that when evening came, Jesus saw. But notice He doesn't physically appear until the 4th watch of the night, which would be 3AM. Why? Why does He wait that long when He saw hours ago the struggle they were in? I can't say for sure. Maybe he wanted them to realize self-dependence was futile...maybe He wanted them to take in the intensity of the storm to realize what they were being saved out of...it doesn't really matter why...what matters is that we an always trust the intention of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes He chooses something and we are screaming and crying out, not understanding why. But perhaps that is why the Word warns us to not lean on our own understanding but to look to Christ and our path will be made straight. When we rely on our own eyes to view what only He fully understands, we miss Him...and from the sounds of the next passage, the disciples were on their way to "missing Him."
They were terrified when God showed up; they didn't recognize Him. They didn't yet quite understand Who it was they had encountered. Sometimes we miss God when He shows up...but in His loving kindness, He responded IMMEDIATELY, the Word tells us, and told them these three amazing things: " Take Heart; It is I. Do not be afraid." Wow. Can you even imagine the impact of those words in the middle of that situation? Life is hard. We will come up against that nasty wind at times and struggle for hours and hours, wondering why we can't see Jesus in our boat, wondering where He is...and I'd just like to encourage those who take the time to read this that HE SEES! He is aware, and is working even when we can't see. He knows what is best and will not leave us alone in our time of need; He will show up at the absolute perfect time, and this is what His Word says: 1. Take Heart...don't lose hope. Keep your eyes fixed on Christ. He is the hope that will always stand, when everything and everyone else in life will fail us. No matter how strong that wind is, or how impossible it looks to overcome, the Word says TAKE HEART. 2. It is I. I don't know if there is any phrase that could be more comforting to someone than God letting us know it is HIM who has showed up in our situation. And 3. Do not be afraid. He doesn't say try not to be scared, or do your best...He just says don't. Period. There is no reason to fear when God is on scene...there is no wind that is too much for Him.
Hold on to hope. It's God Who is there...Who sees, Who has known all along. There is no longer any reason to fear. He then got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. WOW! I don't know about you, but that image of the mere presence of my God and the power it displays is amazing. They were astonished...they didn't quite know just who they had in their presence at that moment, but they would continue to find out. Sometimes it takes meeting a fierce wind to notice God and His power. Would they have even paid attention if it was an evening of smooth sailing? Who knows. But they for sure could not miss this glorious display of power by the King of Kings. I have to think that in our own lives, sometimes, we need to be patient in our struggle with the wind and remember that HE SEES; remember to take heart and remember it is HIM who is a present help in time of need, and we have nothing to fear...
Thanks so mcuh for pouring your heart out on the page!! It was again one of those God moments and a much needed reminder that He SEES it all. And that moment when He meets us there, then instant peace and calm also is present! The waves instantly calmed!! AMEN! Bless you and thank you for being the woman of God he has called you to be!!!!
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