Before the Wind

I love it when God shows me new things in old passages. I have to admit, I’m always tempted to just not read something that’s very familiar. When I saw my devotional passage for today, the thought did occur to me that I was very familiar with it, and maybe I should just focus on the devotion itself rather than re-read the passage. But the thought was quickly replaced by that little voice saying, “Read it! What if I want to show you something new?” The truth is that God doesn’t always show me new things. Sometimes He just reinforces the old knowledge, something we all need from time to time. But today, He did use this passage in a new light. It wasn’t necessarily new truths, but a new way of reinforcing truths I’ve known.

The familiar passage is Mark 6:45-52. This story follows immediately on the heels of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand. As they departed from there, Jesus sent his disciples in a boat to cross the sea while He went on a mountainside to pray. While he was praying, they were in the middle of the sea straining against a strong wind. He saw their struggle and walked out toward them. He ends up in the boat with them, calming the winds, and reminding them once again to put their trust in Him.

A couple of things stood out to me as I spent the morning mulling over this passage. The first thing I noticed is that God doesn’t send us into a storm unprepared. We often have the mentality that our storms are strengthening or preparing us for something more. To an extent, I agree that they do. But I think we often miss what has come before the storm – something that was put there to teach us in advance, usually taught to us during a moment when there was no wind beating against us.

Jesus had just shown the disciples that He understood the concept that we as humans have a hard time receiving spiritual truth when our physical needs are unmet. It was Jesus, not the disciples, who insisted strongly that the physical needs of the 5000 be met. Through this He showed them that He would provide for their every need. While they were in the boat, they had a very immediate and present need to have the strength to fight against that wind – and they needed protection over them. There is no evidence that God sent the wind to buffet them, but He knew that it would be there. There are things in this world that are going to fight against us, not because they are sent by God, but because they are of the nature of this world. We can’t escape them, and our Father knows this! So, He prepares us. Jesus sent His disciples into that wind knowing He had just equipped them with the knowledge that He would provide for their physical as well as spiritual needs.

But something else jumped out at me as I read this passage. The end of verse 48 reads, “He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.” I always have wondered about this verse. Why would he go to the trouble to walk out to them if He had no intention of getting into the boat with them and calming the winds for them? Allow me, if you will, to share with you the thought that occurred to me.

How many times are we in the midst of a struggle, a battering, or a storm and we just want to cry out, “Jesus, I can’t see You in this! Please show yourself to me so I can know You’re still with me in this midst of this!” We’ve been given the promise that He’ll never leave or forsake us, but if we could just catch a glimpse of His hand, it might be easier to deal with. That’s where Jesus expected the disciples to be. He had just given them the information they needed to deal with the winds – the knowledge that He would provide for their physical needs. Now they just needed to be reminded of His strength. As He walked by the boat, they could have looked at Him and said, “Look! It’s Jesus! If He’s strong enough to walk on these waves without a problem, then He’s strong enough to strengthen and protect us in this wind. Let’s get to it, boys!” Instead they were suddenly more terrified of the image of a “ghost” walking on the waves than they were exhausted from the battering of the wind. So, Jesus climbed into the boat with them, reminded them to be courageous and not afraid, and calmed the winds that were buffeting the boat. Although Mark does not record them being chastised, the last verse in the passage states, “for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”

In a time of calm, a lesson will be taught to us. It might be through a passage we read, through the story of the faith of a fellow believer, through a sermon we hear, or a book we’ve read. It can come from any number of sources. But, the lesson will be there nonetheless. It’s a lesson not necessarily taught through experience, but one taught through teaching of some sort. It comes in our calm. It comes in our daily life. It may be something we think is neat or interesting, but we must be careful to not miss it for what it really is. In reality, it’s a lesson to give us the tools we need to step into the wind that is about to rise. When the wind does come, we can choose to act on that lesson and remember that God’s promises hold true even when the circumstances seem more overwhelming. Or we can choose to allow our hearts to be hardened. We can see Jesus passing by us and take that as the encouragement that He is powerful enough to protect us and give us what we need to push through the wind, or we can allow His presence to add to our stress and fear as we struggle on our own.