Take Courage!
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the truths in Your Word.
Read Mark 6:45–56
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever been scared or puzzled by something that God was doing?Jesus sends his disciples ahead of him and goes by himself to pray. While he is gone, the disciples run into trouble. They are struggling on the lake as their circumstances threaten to swallow them up. Preoccupied with fighting the elements, they nearly miss seeing Jesus walking by (48). It seems that Jesus is calmly strolling across the lake, unperturbed by what is going on around him. He is just about to pass the disciples when they see him and cry out, mistaking him for a ghost (50).
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (50). Jesus climbs in the boat and the elements are stilled. The disciples go from terrified to “completely amazed” (51). Even with all of Jesus’ miracles—even with the power to perform miracles by their own hands—the disciples still do not understand. The disciples are so preoccupied with the here and now that they miss the most important thing—Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus almost passed them by.
Are there times when you are so consumed with your surroundings that you miss what God is doing? Have you missed
what God is calling you to do because you are terrified? Take courage! God is here. And with God, all things are possible.
Apply
Think of a situation that is distracting you. Take some time to give it to God and ask him what he wants you to do.
Closing prayer
Jesus, I don’t always understand Your ways. Teach me to focus on You so that I don’t miss out on what You are doing.
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