“And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea,..”Mark 6:48
Jesus always sees our toils and distresses in this world. We do not see Him, and sometimes we think He has forgotten us; but that is never true. He is never indifferent for a moment. Christ looks down upon our struggles in this world. He sees us toiling; all our battles and strifes He beholds. He sees us in the waves and in the storm. He sees us, not with the eye of the calm spectator merely, but with the eye of tenderest love. This is a great thought; if we can only get it into our hearts, it will give us wondrous courage in the hour of toil, sorrow, or struggle. Jesus knows when the battle is hard, when the night is dark, when the temptation is more than we can bear.
Here the winds were contrary, though Christ sent His disciples out to sea. We learn that even when we are doing the things God has bidden us do, we may encounter opposition and sore difficulty. We may even be beaten back, and find the resistance too great for our strength. Many of the Lord’s disciples have to make their voyage over very stormy seas on their way to glory. For some people duty is hard; indeed, a true, noble, positive, aggressive life must always be in the face of opposition and contrary winds. “The law of head-winds in life is doubtless in the secret love of God. When the voyage is over, perhaps we shall be let see the charts, and know why it had to-be.”–J. R. Miller
Make no mistake about it, whatever fearful storm you are in today, the Lord sees you, loves you, desires to help you, has the power to calm the storm, and will do so when His purpose is achieved. The storms are not intended to destroy us, but to discipline us and draw us to the Lord for help. Knowing He is the Master of the sea gives us peace in the storm.–HDS
