Walk On By

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Have you ever had a storm in your life where you where not sure God knew how bad it really was?

Have you ever had another storm later in life and forgotten that God has seen you through before?

What we are talking about is Trust!

Have you ever intended to get some down time and the demands of life interrupt you.

Backstory the disciples have been out ministering and have come back excited to share.

Mark 6:30–36 ESV

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

The miracle of feeding the 5,000

Mark 6:45–48 ESV

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,

Did you catch that He intended to walk by why?

This is so very important!

Jesus through the Spirit seen his disciples struggling from land!

And came across the 2-3 miles of raging sea to just pass by!!

How would you feel if you where struggling in a fight for your life and Jesus seen you struggling and just walked by?

Why would Jesus just walk by?

Because Jesus knew they would make it to the other side just as he would!

Jesus had confidence in His Father to keep them.

Not only that He commanded them to go to the other side, they were under his care!

Mark 6:49–52 ESV

49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

How many of us do this?

Think this storm is in my life because I failed God?

But actually the loaves should have caused them to know “ Hey, we are in a storm but just keep rolling God got this!”

They should have known that they could trust God to get them to the other side no matter their current situation!

Isaiah 12:2 ESV

2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

In Closing:

We have to be careful that our pain or our fear is not our God!

Biblical teaching on trusting God emphasizes wholehearted reliance on Him rather than on human resources or personal understanding. Trust involves giving God your complete heart while rejecting dependence on your own insight.

You may feel like Jesus is just walking by because, he does not care about your struggle.

Wrong!!

1 Peter 5:6–7 ESV

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Don’t believe the lie believe the truth; he cares for YOU!

He knows you will survive and make it to the other side!