aBible.com     

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