God’s Seas Are Always Calm

Today’s reading: Mark 6:45-51

Verse 48 of today’s reading includes a curious line: “He intended to pass them by.”

I can envision the frightened disciples struggling with their oars against the wind, only to look up and see their teacher walking across that very sae. And I can understand their horror at the sight.

But, of course, frightening the men was not His intent. His plan was to simply encourage his friends with this miracle. It’s clear to me that he hoped the men would take his walking upon the water as a reminder that, though God, all things are possible. And armed with that, of course, the waves would be no trouble for them.

But the disciples, being human, missed Jesus’s point. The strange scene only frightened them more.

So Jesus  modified his plan and climbed aboard the boat himself for yet another miracle, the calming of the seas. This more tangible sign of salvation calmed the men’s nerves as much as it did the water, and the crew, though still “utterly astounded” (Verse 51) made it safely ashore.

Pondering all of this, I think of all the times in my life when I have been worried or afraid. I understand now that those words are just euphemisms. What they actually mean is that I was skeptical of God’s promises delivered from afar.

I am still alive and thriving, aren’t I?

So that means every single time I refused to give up my fear, God simply changed his plan and climbed aboard my boat. And, each time, He helped me to finally to see that the supposedly rough waters of my life have been calm, gentle, and certainly passable, all along.

As I contemplate today’s reading, I wonder if, perhaps, the “adverse wind” (Verse 48) was just a part of the disciples’ overactive imagination the whole time. Could it be that Jesus saw the Calm Seas of Truth all along and that the real miracle was in helping his friends to finally see them too?

Thanks be to God for eternal peace — even in the midst of apparent chaos.