Protection and Care

Often our granddaughters come downstairs to visit Pa and Bagogo. However, they often stop before the bottom step, flinging themselves into the air, trusting that we will be there to catch them. They trust in our protection and care. God is asking us to trust in the same way. 

Scripture:

Mark 6:45   Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

Mark 6:47   When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. 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 Then 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.

Observation:

At the conclusion of the feeding of the five thousand a scene is laid out before us. The people had been placed into groups to be fed by Jesus’ team. The sight could have been misconstrued as the organization of a military coup with Jesus mistaken for a political Messiah. No wonder he immediately dispersed the disciples and separated himself from them. He was protecting them from a perception that could have put their lives in danger. 

As Jesus went up the mountain to pray, the distance separating him from the disciples continued to widen. With many miles between them, he was able to see that they were in trouble, “straining at the oars.” Immediately he headed in their direction. 

Application:

The heart of Jesus is revealed in his every-day responses to the needs of the disciples. Often they don’t even know that they have a need, but he’s already ahead of the game. Jesus knew how the authorities might see the event that resulted in the feeding of the 5000 and recognized that he needed to protect the disciples. He took decisive action to separate them from the perception of wrong. 

Sometimes we have a hard time realizing that perception can be dangerous. Jesus’ eyes were open to the real and perceived dangers of his followers and so he took action to protect them. God is looking out for us and will take action to help us in our time of need, if we will listen. Sometimes we don’t see the danger, and that’s why we need to trust in the Lord.

The interesting story is that Jesus saw the perceived danger, and then the real danger. Seeing them “straining at the oars” from a distance of at least three miles is a miracle in and of itself. This is a beautiful promise that even when we don’t think that the Lord can see the difficulties that we are facing, he can! When he saw their struggles he responded. 

Peace washes over us when we learn to trust in the God who sees and protects. Sometimes situations and actions may not seem to make sense, but it’s in those circumstances that we learn to trust. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your promise of protection and care. Amen.