“Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” Mark 6:51-52 NKJV
At the end of Mark, we learn that a storm began to rage while the disciples were separated from Jesus. He walked on water to come to their rescue, but they were troubled by this. They thought it was a spirit. Jesus got into the ship and the wind ceased. They were “greatly amazed.” Verse 52 states, “For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
The reaction of the disciples is interesting to me. They had just witnessed a miracle prior to this incident. Immediately before getting into the ship, they saw Jesus feed 5000 plus people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Think about the magnitude of that miracle. For real, I don’t care how much I pray and break bread into pieces, it will only go so far. But, when Jesus did it, not only was everyone full, but they had leftovers! Why, then, were the disciples so surprised when Jesus walked on water, got into the ship, and the wind ceased? The power He manifested should not have been a shock to them. Not only had He performed the miracle with the food, but in Mark 4, we learn about another storm they were in that Jesus handled with three simple words, “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:35-41).
It’s easy to read the Gospels and point out all the faults of the disciples, but we must be honest in that, the disciples represent us. How many times in our own lives has God done what seemed impossible, but when the next “big” situation comes against us, we wonder if He’ll be able to fix things this time? When He does come through, we are “greatly amazed” as if the power He manifests is an anomaly and not the norm.
Life is full of ups and downs. There will be things that are guaranteed to frighten us or test our faith and we won’t know how to handle them. We must not forget all that Jesus has done for us previously. Reflecting on such will help us go through our new trials with courage and confidence in the fact that He is able to handle whatever comes our way. When He does, we won’t be amazed because we weren’t sure it would happen. We will be able to celebrate what He has done because we knew that, eventually, all would be well because we serve a God who is able to do the impossible.
What are some things you can do to prevent having short-term memory when it comes to God’s ability to perform miracles in your life?
Soul Food 