Excerpt
When I recall the prolonged fight the apostles encountered on the Sea of Galilee, I question whether the length and ferocity of this struggle was necessary. Did Jesus just decide to show up on the scene at the point of despair or was He walking on the water the whole time unnoticed? The gospel of Mark 6:48 recounts the following: About the fourth watch of the night, he (Jesus) came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. From this scripture passage, it is conceivable that our Lord may not have intended to engage his disciples. However, it certainly appears that He was intentionally in the vicinity should someone call upon Him. The apostles being men who had faced rough seas before may have felt as if they could handle the situation themselves. They were so engrossed in this pressing task that they failed to raise up their spiritual antenna.
Jesus will not force his presence upon us, but He will often introduce opportunities for us to turn to Him. Our Lord explained how to gain access to his world in Matthew 7:7-8: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. This passage shows that an action must be taken in order to obtain the given result. Only those who search for the truth in the light of Christ will find the way of salvation. Our Lord will not be an intruder in our lives
In the same way, the disciples were trying to find a solution to their treacherous situation without taking the proper action - that was, until Peter realized there was only one way out of this dilemma. Peters hopes were fulfilled when he first recognized and then had discourse with Jesus as described in Matthew 14:28: Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. Our Lord then intervened with a divine solution at the moment of gloom. The other apostles saw only a ghost because they had not sought Jesus to aid them in this battle with nature. Their instincts during this time of danger were more prone to a human solution than to a divine resolution.
Are we inclined to handle personal issues ourselves without involving our Lord? Do we acknowledge Jesus in our daily lives, or do we just turn to Him in times of desperation? How often has Jesus passed by us in our daily struggles because we have failed to open our hearts to Him?
We can live out our daily existence without any help from God. We as humans have a finite capability to resolve problems on our own or with earthly assistance. Sometimes we can be successful as we tackle these challenges. However, when we find ourselves outmanned and overwhelmed as the apostles did, we will either face ruin or require a last minute miracle. Why should we place ourselves in this frantic predicament? Jesus offers us an infinite bounty of solutions. The only requirement is that we give our welfare over into His hands. He will then guide and direct our every step as stated in Psalm 18:37: You gave me room to stride; my feet never stumbled. Here we see that even prior to us proceeding on our daily journey, God has already prepared the way for us to the point of assuring our very well-being. He has removed the brush and impediments that may hinder our progress. This allows us a clearer vision of what lay ahead so that we may safely advance along the way of salvation. Our gracious God not only permits us to walk unperturbed, but like a champion marathon runner, we can stride through the finish line to receive our crown of glory.
Does this mean that we will never encounter obstacles during lifes travels? Its unlikely that we would be so fortunate; however our Savior is analogous to a beacon of light, which will warn us of impending danger. He will then grant us the wisdom and protection required to circumvent the perils that ultimately lie ahead.
On the other hand, what if were not advancing down the proper path? Unless we put Jesus in the forefront of our life through daily prayer, spiritual exercise, obedience and faith; we simply cannot be sure of the proper direction. Without our Lord as our guide, we will be blindly moving forward, vulnerable to all types of hazards. For the ways of this world will not only lead to our spiritual demise, but will also take a toll on our emotional, mental and physical welfare.
We may insist that despite the dangers we can handle things now and that when were truly in serious difficulty we will call on the name of the Lord. This faulty thinking will only make it more difficult to find Jesus, for the longer we wait the more dire the situation becomes, requiring an even greater miracle. The winds become stronger and the waves higher, making it almost impossible to see our Lord. The prudent course of action is to keep Jesus in our field of view at all times. Then when disaster comes knocking at our door, our Lord who is the focal point of our life, is already stretching forth His hand to guide us through troubled waters.
The consequences of traveling down the wrong road can be harsh, for our Lord will often attempt to redirect our actions. If we resist the guidance of God or eliminate His voice from our lives, a more terrible fate could await us. Prior to his conversion, St. Paul (Saul) was heading down an erroneous path in life. His passion for persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ overwhelmed him in mind and spirit as can be seen from this scripture passage in Acts 9:1: Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest.
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