An Unexpected Arrival (John 6:15-21)

An Unexpected Arrival (John 6:15-21)

Jesus sends the disciples on across the sea while He goes to a mountain alone to pray.

The disciples anticipate Jesus’ arrival

Jesus was going to catch up with the disciples later. We read that it was dark, and He still had not come to them. The disciples assumed that Jesus would be following them in a boat, and they were looking for Him to catch up to them at any time.

Throughout our lives we seek for Jesus to move on our behalf. We are praying for Him to save, to heal, to restore, etc. and we look forward to Him arriving and moving in our lives.

A storm arises

While in their boats a storm picks up on the sea. This would not have been unusual, and the disciples were very skilled sailors. They were used to fishing all night on rough seas. The storm would tax them, but it did not terrify them.

While we wait for Jesus to move our circumstances sometimes worsen. Sometimes we encounter difficulties. These difficulties may annoy us, but we usually can handle them.

Jesus’ arrival terrifies the disciples

The disciples were struggling but fine until Jesus arrives. Because Jesus arrives walking on the water they are terrified. They believe that they are seeing a ghost. All of the sudden they are now faced with a situation that they cannot handle.

Many times Jesus does not arrive the way we think that He should. Sometimes the way He answers our prayers absolutely devastates us. His ways are not our ways. Many times we cannot see Him, but what He is doing brings great uncertainty and fear into our hearts. We come face to face with a turn of events that is beyond our ability to cope with without even realizing that it is Jesus coming to aid us.

Jesus’ arrival brings peace and safety

Jesus reassures the disciples that everything is ok and brings them peace. Upon His arrival they are immediately at their destination.

We must learn to trust Jesus as He moves in our lives. He will break things in order that He might fix them. He rearranges our lives so that He might restore His order. We must learn to hear His voice in the midst of the storm and trust Him even when things are totally out of control.

Application

God does not always answer our prayers in the manner that we expect. Will we allow Him to change us or will we harden our hearts? Will you surrender to the Lord as He moves in your life?

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