Letting Jesus in the Boat
“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” (John 6:16-21, NIV)
We all have those life-moments where we’re trying to make something work that just won’t work. Maybe you’ve been busting your butt at work, trying to get a promotion that keeps passing you over. Maybe you’re trying to connect with a family member that just seems to like to push your buttons and it seems like you’ll never have that harmony you crave with them. Maybe you’re trying to conceive a child, but no matter how diligently you track your body or how many diets you try or how many doctors you see, that little plus sign keeps evading you.
For the disciples in John 6, the problem was a little more physical. After the miracle of feeding the 5,000, Jesus loads the disciples into a boat and tells them to row to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus then absconds to the mountain to pray. Perhaps on this night, the disciples feel a bit of déjà vu, being that this is not the first time they boarded a boat to escape a crowd and were met with a storm.
In this case, however, the disciples seem more determined– and eventually, frustrated– as they spend all night rowing against this storm. Night fell, and the storm raged, blowing wind and tossing water against them for hours. During the Gospel of Matthew’s account of the same night, it says that by just before dawn, they had only gotten about halfway to Capernaum, their destination. (Matthew 14:24)
By this time, their muscles must have been screaming. Their clothes must have been soaked to the bone. Their bodies must have been tired after a full day of serving a crowd of over 5,000 people, only to have stayed up all night fighting against a storm. You have to remember: most of these guys were former fishermen. They were well acquainted with storms on the water and being against the current. They were strong men and they were experienced sailors.
It was about this time– just before dawn– that Jesus walked out on the water. In the moments he neared their boat, the disciples got frightened thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus calls out to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
This is the same encounter that Peter walked on water with the Lord, but that is not why we’re here today. Our lives will never be exempt from problems. We will always have them, whether we walk by faith or not. And sometimes, the things we walk through will feel just like rowing a little boat against a strong current: futile, hopeless, and a waste of energy. It’s not that we’re not capable to make it through that struggle, but sometimes it takes every ounce of yourself to keep paddling– even when you see how slow your progress is.
We might not be exempt from these difficult and frustrating moments, but we certainly don’t have to go through it by ourselves.
In John 6:21, it says that they willingly invited Jesus into the boat, and suddenly, the boat was instantaneously on the shore of their intended destination. For all the disciples’ toiling and frustration, it took Jesus simply a moment to accomplish their task.
Psalm 23:1-3 reminds us that this same Jesus who walked on water and fed the 5,000 is also our Good Shepherd that leads us beside still waters, makes us lie down in green pastures, and restores our souls. He has all the rest and victory we need. He has it all and He gently pours it out on us, leading us to accept all the things we need.
If we’ve all experienced a moment in life where we felt like the disciples in the boat, then perhaps you also know that allowing Jesus into that boat is the ultimate solution to the current you're fighting against, whether physical, emotional, or relational. By doing so, we not only get ourselves into the presence of the God who calms the storm, but also the God who moves raging sea and shoreline so that you can go from the middle of a churning lake to the shore of the town you’re trying to get to.
You also have to remember: this was the second time the disciples were loaded into a boat and Jesus seemed checked out to the storm all around the vessel. The first time, the storm itself frightened the disciples, but this time, it was Jesus coming out across the water that scared the disciples. Up until that point, their fear didn’t keep them from trying to make progress across the Sea of Galilee.
So yes, you could probably muscle through your problems in your own strength, but you also might not be able to without the strength of the Lord. And even if you can do it yourself, the amount of toiling and striving for whatever your goal is is futile compared to what God has for us.
Why not invite Jesus into your little problems? Why not allow Him into those moments that you’re struggling against unseen forces and frustration? At the very least, He gives comfort and rest to those who are weary waiting on their answer and the things they’re working towards. At most, He miraculously works to accomplish that desire of your heart.
It seems like such a simple, Sunday school lesson but it’s something we need to be reminded of constantly: willingly allow Him into your messes, your storms, and your battles. Do it until you are so wind-battered that you lean on Him all the more. Let Him be your resting place when it feels like the storm you’re facing has taken every last ounce of energy you had.
Jesus is walking through the storm to get to you. He wants to get personal with your issues and provide needs where He ordains. But you have to stop fighting and lean back into Him.
